The Bruised Reed Archives - Making Scriptural Connections

Sibbes Study Session #16:

Sibbes Ch 16: Through Conflict to Victory

In this closing chapter of Sibbes’s book, he connects several key ideas:

Despite the truth of our being “bruised reeds / smoking flax,” as the Scriptures teach,
And that “life” here as such, and in Christ, is a journey of conflict and difficulty of many forms, and periods of time,
Yet there is the staying hand of God who knows, and controls, all that happens to us in an incomprehensible harmony with His purposes for all people and this time,
With the ultimate end that Christ will be physically, imminently, completely, and eternally victorious.

How this happens is not clear to us, and at times seems contrary to all experience and feelings. Yet it is so.

The Challenge of Recognizing What is True

The question of what is “True” is the oldest wonder. In the first scene we have after the great Creation Record of Gen Ch 1-2 we see in Gen Ch 3 the Serpent’s narrative concerning his claim as to the “truth” of that particular tree, and boundary, the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” The very word “knowledge” presumes that the object of such knowing is true in the sense of conforming to reality. What happened was the very motive of the Lord God was called into question, and the promise was made that violating such command was the gateway to becoming like “god,” which evil impulse was Satan’s first impulse in the dateless past.

So, what is “true?” How can be “know” that that which we can “know” is “True?” This is among the oldest questions, too, of philosophy and everyday life. The philosophical category of the question is known as “Epistemology.”

The Conflict of Truth: The Bible and any Contrary Claims of Man

In the image embedded below is a brief portrayal of this question aligned to the issue of Sibbes Ch 16, namely the obstacle-experience, discouragements, even despair, of our life’s journey. The first chart, directly below, summarizes on the left-hand side, the Biblical scope of “Truth” from its first use in Gen to its final use at the end of Revelation, with two important intervening uses. On the right-hand is an artistic synopsis of the efforts of man seeking “to know” what is True and to establish a methodology (or methodologies) for determining such.

Overview of “Truth” from the Bible and from “Science”

As discussed in Sibbes Ch 15, that chapter had underlying it the question of “truth.” Such is its practical application in Ch 16 as applied to our Christian walk. Pilate, facing the very embodiment of “Truth” spoke his demand for it, and likely his frustration for determining it or any reliable process for discerning it. The first occurrence of “Truth” is the encounter of Joseph’s brothers with Joseph then as ruling Regent in the mightiest empire of its time, Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. That family line from Abraham had not been truth-tellers as evidenced by numerous examples. The exemplar was the face-to-face encounter at Gen 42. The issue of a great lie, namely that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal when in fact he had been sold into slavery by his own brothers, was exactly right there, just as it was with the Jewish Leaders presenting Jesus to Pilate for crucifixion on the charge that he was an insurrectionist and threat to Caesar when it was His threat to the “religion” and authority of the Leaders themselves. Further down on the left-hand side of the above chart we see the important admonition of our thought life begun and ending with what is true. And finally, at the very end of Revelation we see Him Who is True, and the angel telling the Apostle John that what he had experienced and recorded in this ultimate book of the Bible was indeed “True.”

The Application of “Truth” to our Journeying in Life

One of the great books of our Christian library is Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. It is not, of course, Scripture, nor is it any infallible revelation subsequent to the Bible. But there is a reason that it has endured as the most-popular, or close to that. of any Christian book outside of the Bible itself, for the more than 350 years since its writing. What is further remarkable is that John Bunyan was a ‘nobody’ in terms of educational or church standing. He was literally a tinkerer (an itinerant laborer who went about fixing pots and pans with his portable anvil and hammers and tongs). He was also a Baptist preacher who refused to accept the religious authorities demanding his conforming to the then Church of England’s formal system. For that he was jailed for more than a decade, during which time he wrote this wonderful book.

In the image below is a graphic summary of the story of the man Christian who is awakened to faith in his home city, “The City of Destruction,” and called to journey to “The Celestial City.”

Depiction of “Christian’s” Journey in Bunyan’s book

There are, I think, three primary reasons why Bunyan’s book has had such communicative power. First it depicts a journey between two specific end points, his beginning condition as a resident of a city doomed to destruction, and his end destination, the Celestial City. Second, that journey was an experience of repeated encounter with obstacles and conflicts, some internal, some external. Bunyan’s genius in these encounters is that the reader can readily identified with parallels in one’s own life, again and again in one’s reading at different stages of life such that it seems as thought we each experience every one of them. Third, is that Christian learns and perseveres, sometimes just barely, through and by means of such conflicts, a message we all need to be re-portrayed, as that is to be our experience as well, and is the central theme of Sibbes Ch 16.

False Religions and Their Contrary Message to Bunyan’s

There has always existed error, even, especially, conscious error otherwise known as “deceit.” Religious contexts, along with political contexts, much like used car lots, are the unholy ground where such deceit is most likely and most perniciously to be found. Consider the below chart:

The Deceptive Version of Bunyan’s *Progress*

Basically, what the above is seeking to show that such deception exists to deny both of the end points of Bunyan’s story, namely that there is no present “City of Destruction” in the sense of being under God’s Judgment nor is there a heavenly destination. Another form of deception for those who admit some form of both end points is that the route there can be both easy and very very difficult: easy if one ‘obeys’ the authority of such deception and very very difficult as to what such ‘obedience’ entails; in other words, there exists no true Redemption, Salvation, Grace, but what remains is what it is that one can and must do, enabled by such human authority. Such as was the case under the religious industry during the earthly life of Jesus so has it been and is today.

Sibbes’s Theme of Conflict as the Character of our Journey

Sibbes’s Theme of Christ’s Victory Assured

Sibbes Study Session #15

Review of Sibbes Ch 11 – 14

Before beginning Sibbes Ch 15, let us review what Sibbes terms his last section, which begins his Ch 11: “We come now to the last part of our text” (Sibbes Ch 11, first sentence).

Recall Sibbes began, as the book’s title gives us, with the realization that we are “Bruised Reeds and Smoking Flax” and that being so is evidence that God has implanted His life in us, by Grace, from Jesus Christ our Mediator, implanted by the Holy Spirit. And, further, that such beginning, even in its nascent feebleness, like a new born, is not where God’s Grace and Work ends. No, rather, God continues that beginning in this life and will sustain it to the end of this life and into the eternal state yet to be our experience. Such continuing work of God is not necessarily in the form, degree, or pace that we might have expected from our viewing things within our human nature. Hence, the importance of Ch 11 -14, and the concluding two chapter, Ch 15 -16.

This final section of Sibbes, beginning in Ch 11 and continuing through Ch 12-16, is concerning this growing / sustaining Work of God in our present spacetime experience, and final era of God’s great plan of the ages, leading inevitably to Christ’s ultimate triumph, and the elect’s eternal salvation.

Before we begin these final two chapters in Sibbes, starting with Ch 15 below, it will help us to grasp the build up from Ch 11 through Ch 14 by reviewing selected highlight statements made by Sibbes.

In the pdf attached below is an overview of the operative text–Bruised Reed, Smoking Flax–and the directly quoted highlights from Sibbes with certain additions I’ve provided in brackets for reading clarity. The reader can locate each such highlight by doing a word search in a pdf of Sibbes’s book.

As noted on p. 1 of the above pdf, the word “reed” occurs three times in Matthew’s Gospel after the reference citation (Bruised Reed, Smoking Flax) in Matt 12. All three such occurrences are associated with the Crucifixion of Jesus: first a reed is used by the Roman soldiers to mock Jesus’s claim that He is “King of the Jews” (as Pilate wrote on the inscription attached to the Cross), as a pitiful representative of a king’s scepter as the emblem of authority and sovereignty. Next a reed, likely the very same ‘scepter,’ is used to beat Christ upon his heat, as a further humiliation and taunt. Finally, on the Cross, Jesus is offered “sour wine” via an upraised reed.

This final human action of offering “sour wine” is recorded in all four Gospels (Matt 27:48, Mark 15:36, Luke 23:36, and John 19:29), one of the few events so repeated in all four, and echoes Psalm 69:21 which gives prophetic testimony of that very event. Such “sour wine” was the very poorest quality, available only to the people of lowest economic condition unable to afford what was “wine” as we would know the term; it was a ‘step’ above vinegar as used in a seasoning in that it was wine suitable for drinking, barely so because of its strongly bitter taste.

The sour wine was used as further mocking of Jesus, as no king would be drinking such lowest grade fruit of the vine:

³⁵And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” ³⁶The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine³⁷and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” ³⁸There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”
Luke 23:35-38 (ESV)

Such event was further evidence of the true human sacrifice of Jesus both God and man, and His utter humility by the sour wine given in a soaked sponge at the end of an upraised reed, through which He then gave His claim of finished Work:

²⁸After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.”²⁹A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. ³⁰When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
John 19:28-30 (ESV)

⁵⁰And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. ⁵¹And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. ⁵²The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, ⁵³and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. ⁵⁴When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son^[ of God!”
Matt 27:51-54 (ESV); [Mark’s Gospel closely parallels the above from Matthew]

And, so, the humility of the reed and the sour wine that man mocked the King became at that moment the final enablement to pronounce the victory of Jesus Christ, the Second Adam who took on the curse of the First Adam on our behalf:

¹²Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man [Adam], and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— ¹³for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. ¹⁴Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
¹⁵But the free gift is not like the trespass.
For if many died through one man’s trespass, [Adam]

much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.

¹⁶And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin.
For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, [Adam]

but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification.

¹⁷For if, because of one man’s trespass,
death reigned through that one man, [Adam]

much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
¹⁸Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, [Adam]

so one act of righteousnessleads to justification and life for all men.

¹⁹For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, [Adam]

so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.

²⁰Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,
²¹so that, as sin reigned in death, [Adam]

grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 5:12-21 (ESV) [Added reference to “Adam” in brackets, and highlights mine: the bold font designating the Fall of Adam, and the bold underlined font, the Work of Christ]

The above passage from Ch 5 of the Epistle to the Romans is the rightly the subject of deep commentary and analysis, beyond our scope here. In short, all humans “fell” under Adam, who was our “father” in both human / genetic life and fallen nature; in a parallel way, we who are in Christ, derive from Him eternal life contained within the propitiation of God (full satisfaction for the consequence of Adam’s sin and our own, plus the favor of God beyond ‘only’ judicial satisfaction, as adopted sons).

Ch 15: Christ’s Public Triumph

Sibbes begins the chapter with three key observations re Christ’s work:

It (Christ’s work) present and active.
It is not in full view, nor fully complete / finished.
It will one day be so: fully complete and fully viewed.

What, then, of the deniers of the above, even the opposers of those who hold to the above? Sibbes in a few sentences gives poignant observation as to the fate of horror of any condemned to God’s ultimate wrath, despite such persons believing even to a state of internal certainty that none of the above is real, and they have no accountability before God.

The wicked that now shut their eyes to this shall see it to their torment.
It shall not be in the power of subtle men to see or not see what they wish.
Christ will have power over their hearts; and as his wrath shall immediately seize upon their souls against their wills, so will he have power over the eyes of their souls, that they may see and know what will increase their misery.
Grief shall be fastened to all their senses, and their senses to grief.
Then all the false glosses which they put upon things shall be wiped off.
…the time will come when they shall be driven out of this fools’ paradise….
Sibbes Ch 15, introductory paragraphs. Highlights mine.

Sibbes uses the phrase “subtle men,” which does not have Sibbes’s meaning in our present use of the word “subtle.” It’s meaning in Sibbes’s time was more weighted to “clever, crafty” as person who has a scheme to avoid being caught / called-out by an authority or, if caught, has a plan for avoiding consequences. Such is the nature of a defense attorney’s argument in court on behalf of an all-too-guilty defendant. More importantly, “subtle” was the word in the Bible used to introduce the Serpent in Gen 3:1 from which arose the temptation and the rationale for choosing life in non-recognition of God’s claim, to which first Eve, then Adam, submitted. The Hebrew word of the Serpent–fitting all those believing they can avoid God–is arum (Strongs H6165), deriving from the verb form arom (H6191):

H6175. עָרוּם arum; from 6191; crafty, shrewd, sensible:—crafty(2), prudent(2), prudent man(3), sensible(2), sensible man(1), shrewd(1).
H6191. עָרֹם arom; a prim. root; to be shrewd or crafty:—become shrewd(1), make shrewd(1), sensible(1), very cunning(1).
Thomas, R. L. (1998). In New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek dictionaries : updated edition. Foundation Publications, Inc.

The particular distinctive of arum (crafty) is that it ‘works’ because it appears, is ‘dressed up,’ to be the opposite of what it is in reality. It is a deception, and such was its effect on Eve: And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. (1 Tim 2:14, NKJV).

In addition to the idea of “subtle” as “shrewd / crafty” meaning active misrepresentation of true / ultimate reality there is a teleology hidden as well. With the act of “subtlety” is the ultimate aim of enticement. The Serpent was not being shrewd and crafty to show off but to achieve his sought-after end: ruining God’s creation, shaming God, gaining (as it were) adherents for most ancient category “those who chose evil in the face of True Good.” But even Eve’s choice was not the ultimate goal; rather it was Adam’s knowing choice. Thus this two-step process of leading Adam to be our Fallen-Condemned-to-Death-and-Judgment forefather, and inbreeding of all the human race, is a further, deeper demonstration of the subtle / shrewd / crafty nature of evil. And, further, the ongoing poison of such craftiness is that the deceived fail to grasp that such is their condition. Rather, they are naturally inclined to believe that it is they, the deceived, who are enlightened and wise, and it is those ‘others’ who are the deceived.

Being made aware of one deceived condition is a blessing. We would all curse a medical doctor who gave us and to everyone his / her happy diagnosis that we will live pain-free and pass away in our sleep well into our 90s, when he / she knew, or should have known, that we had some curable condition that would soon lead to our painful demise.

Two more important points on the idea behind the word “subtle” (“crafty”). First is that it is frequently used in the OT for one truly, Spiritually wise, as in Proverbs where it is contrasted with “the fool.” See, for instance: Proverbs 12:16, 23; 13:16; 14:8, 15, 18; 22:3; 27:12.

Every prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly (13:16). The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools is deceiving (14:8)
Proverbs 13:16 and 14:8, where “prudent” translated Hebrew arum (H6175)

Here the subtle / shrewd man, translated as “prudent,” is contrasted with a “fool” in the sense of “stupid” (which is connected to the idea of “stupefied”–dumb, unknowing, clueless, a simpleton). So subtle / prudent is used in a generically positive sense standing opposite to the idea of being oblivious, or more nuanced, a simpleton.

The second additional point is about the origins of such craftiness. The NT gives us clarity on the base-case answer. Jesus has encounters with the leaders of the Jewish Religion (The Religion Industry, TRI, of its time and place). Initially, these encounters were investigatory: who are You? what are You up to? Then these investigations evolved to be particularized on certain fundamental tenets of TRI, specifically the righteousness its adherents derive from their adherence to the Mosaic Law (as as they misunderstood / misapplied it). Ultimately then the encounters descended in to trick question, and deception: Shall be pay taxes to Caesar? Is it permitted to divorce a wife for any reason? This woman was caught in the act of adultery, what should you do? A woman marries a man who dies, and this same is repeated six more times, in what way can heaven work this out? And, so forth. None of these were questions seeking explanation. Finally, TRI proceeded with the final deception of a false trial, a flawed judgment, and deceit upon the Roman ruler, Pontus Pilate who solely had the authority to order crucifixion. The overarching summary of Jesus’s interaction with TRI is that of facing deceptive questions and acts. All such bookends how Jesus began His public ministry with his 40 day fast, followed by being tempted by The Diabolos (G1228, translated as The Devil): “diabolos” is one who falsely accuses and divides, a slanderer…which describes an all-around misrepresenting person. Diabolos is a two-part compound word which components mean literally “down” (dia) to “throw / cast” (bolos). Clearly it applied at such three-part temptation (Matt Ch 4) with the goal to cast down Jesus’s sinless, substitutionary Being to become as just another fallen ‘son of Adam.’ And the TRI was exactly aligned with such purpose of The Diabolos by casting down Jesus as Messiah and the Son Who had been sent by the Father to reclaim the Father’s Vineyard.

Sec. 15.1: The Open Glory of Christ in His Members

Beginning in this first section of Ch 15, and continuing with the subsequent sections below, SIbbes recounts the principle that our present experience in a fallen world is being corrected and ultimately will be fully disclosed, judged, and separated eternally.

Then shall judgment and truth have their victory. Then Christ will plead his own cause. Truth shall no longer be called heresy and schism, nor heresy catholic doctrine. Wickedness shall no longer go masked and disguised. Goodness shall appear in its own luster, and shine in its own beams.
Sibbes, Sec 15.1

Sec. 15.2: Follow Sincerity and Truth

As above, the admonition to us to follow “Sincerity and Truth” is in the context that such will prevail, and those presently opposed, will be judged:

those that have been ruled by their own deceitful hearts and a spirit of error shall be brought forth to disgrace….joined sin and shame together at last.
Ibid.

…those [will] be laden with curses another day who abuse the judgment of others by sophistry and flattery//
Ibid.

The souls of most men are drowned in their senses, and carried away with weak opinions, raised from vulgar mistakes and shadows of things….men, trusting in vanity, vanquish themselves in their own apprehensions.
Ibid,

One of the subtle forms of deception is seeing the “good” of this present world in higher terms that is rightly so. Sibbes puts it this way:

the vain heart of man has been enlarged to conceive a greater good in the things of this world than there is…this is the vanity of our natures, that though we shun above all things to be deceived and mistaken in present things, yet in the greatest matters of all we are willingly ignorant and misled.
Ibid.

Sibbes, as he frequently does, inserts a sentence conveying a deep idea, worthy of introspection. Such is the following (also from Sec. 15.2): “It is one of the highest points of wisdom to consider on what grounds we venture our souls.” The fulcrum of such deeper idea is the word I have highlighted “venture.” The root meaning is “to go” somewhere, from which we get common English usage like “adventure” (which can result in a “misadventure”), and such a person is thought of as “adventurous,” and in the business world creating a “joint venture.” Here, Sibbes connects the idea of a “venture” with the way, the path, the life-direction to which we commit our soul-life.

A powerful question to ask of anyone, especially oneself, is this: What do you want? And then the followup: What are doing, what is your thinking, as to how you will get what you want? Each of us, at every age and stage of life, have these questions with some form of answers lurking deep within us. Of course the clutter of life is that there are so many things we could enumerate as our “wants” and even more answers as to the “why’s” and “way’s” of each of them. But peeling back the veneer of answers, as with an onion, beneath the ‘many’ there underlies a simpler, important, core, “want.” Almost all of us have held to such want as this: we want to shape the world, and us in it, to meet our needs both physical and for significance, in some connectedness with other people who ‘fit in’ to such pursuit. Sibbes says, as do the Scriptures, that such is a deeply flawed soul-life purpose, and doomed to fail if that’s the essence of one’s being.

Sec. 15.3: Christ Alone Advances this Government

Sibbes continues here with again contrasting what this world, nature, can provide by its allure contrasted with that which is spiritual.

Nature, simply considered, cannot raise itself above itself to actions which are spiritual and of a higher order and nature. Therefore the divine power of Christ is necessary to carry us above all our own strength,
Sibbes 15.3

Sec. 15.4: We Must Not Look to Ourselves

The spiritual, God-honoring life is not achievable by even super-human deliberations and effort. Such life is an entirely new domain and must be lived within the envelop of the power of Christ. Again, we have Sibbes:

it is dangerous to look for that from ourselves which we must have from Christ….dependent spirits are the wisest and the ablest. Nothing is stronger than humility, which goes out of itself, or weaker than pride, which rests on its own foundation. Frustra nititur qui non innititur (He strives in vain who is not dependent). And this should be particularly observed because naturally we aspire to a kind of divinity, in setting about actions in the strength of our own abilities…Therefore in all, especially difficult encounters, let us lift up our hearts to Christ, who has Spirit enough for us all, in all our exigencies…
Ibid.

Sibbes caution-reminder is this: “that which is begun in self confidence ends in shame.”

Sec. 15.5: Christ Makes Us Feel Our Dependence

To know true grace and comfort we must truly see the “necessity of dependence” on Christ “that we may know the spread head” of such is “outside ourselves.” (Sibbes, 15.5)

Often, perhaps always, we learn this lesson only by experiencing “defeat:” “we are stronger after defeats, because hidden corruption, undiscerned before, is now discovered, and thence we are brought to make use of mercy pardoning and power supporting.” (Sibbes 15:4)

From this Sibbes says that we “often fail in lesser conflicts and stand firm in greater” because it is in latter circumstance where know lesser temptations to act out of self’s-abilities.

Sec. 15:6: The Triumph of Grace

Sibbes closes this chapter with a reminder of points made earlier in the book. The context is that “defeats” and “failures” can a power of discouragement which we have all experienced in the world’s ways of things that lead to irreconcilable conditions, irreversible situations, permanent alienation. This is how the world in its lesser condition acts upon us, as we do in such condition all too readily upon others.

We can, by extension, think that God must be exactly so, even more so, because of His Greatness, Holiness, and intolerance for sin. But in concluding such we would be missing a higher truth and that is what God did on our behalf, as Mediator / Redeemer, even when we were His most-extreme enemies as was and is the world, He saved us, adopted us, and made us co-heirs with Christ. Now, having done so, God also continues such mediatorial role in preserving us. Sibbes closes this chapter with the following:

Since the fall, God will not trust us with our own salvation, but it is both purchased and kept by Christ for us, and we for it through faith, wrought by the power of God, which we lay hold of.
Sec. 15.6

Sibbes Ch 16 here:

Sibbes Study Session #14

Ch #14: Means to Make Grace Victorious

In Ch #13, we examined Sibbes’s idea “Grace Reigns.” In Ch 13 Sibbes expressed the claim, based upon the Scriptures, that what has begun by the Spirit (of Christ) is active and guiding / controlling, despite what we experiences as small effects, or worse. But what has begun by God will not end in abandonment or failure. Further what we see as “suffering,” and thus some mistake or setback, is actually an aspect of God at work.

In this Ch #14, Sibbes continues this point to the idea of “Victory.” Sibbes summarizes: “..Christ has undertaken this victory, yet he accomplishes it by training us up to fight his battles.” (Sibbes Ch 14, opening paragraph). It is the “yet” clause that can cause us doubt, and lead us to discouragement; and, so, our focus needs to be on the first clause.

The Sections of Ch #14 are:

14.1 Rules for Right Judgment
14.2 Keeping our Judgment Clear
14.3 Reasons for Seeming Lack of Progress
14.4 All Should Side with Christ

Section 14.1 Rules for Right Judgement

Sibbes gives here a rule similar to what is taught in many present day motivational programs: begin with the end in mind. Often this is expressed as making yourself imagine your last night on earth at, say, the age of 95, knowing (somehow) that you will die in your sleep that night. But before going to be that final time, you sit in some favorite chair, having bid farewell to all your many well-wishers and loved ones, and you spend some hours in quiet reflection on the full sweep of your life. Ask yourself now, so the motivational teaching goes, what would you like to feel like, think of, then.

Sibbes expresses this idea in less flamboyant terms but within a Spiritual framework, namely considering God’s perspective on your life “at the hour of death, when the soul gathers itself from all other things to itself. We should look back to former experience and see what is most agreeable to it, and what was the best in our worst times.” (Sibbes Ch 14.1).

This differs importantly from the motivational program of the world system. Sibbes is reminding us that it is not us that is the then judge of the richness / satisfaction of our life then spent: it is God Himself, Who gave us “life,” and His Spirit to live within us, and to guide and comfort us, through struggles as well as smooth paths, that is the One toward Whom our life is judged.

So we are encouraged to “begin with the end in mind” (a common motivational phrase) but do so with Who is Alive within and unto what Purpose?

Sibbes makes two important points on “judging” rightly the ‘now’ course based upon the ‘then’ outcome: (1) requires us looking back from the ‘then’ when true wisdom of any course is then most-clearly possible as the basis of the ‘now’ decision / judgment, and (2) recognize the inherent error that derives from self-interest that filters into such ‘now’ decision / judgment.

Wisdom ‘Then’ for Judgment ‘Now’

Sibbes say that it is the ‘then’ of maturity that “the should shall be best able to judge.” It is in such state that we can see clearly, or more clearly, “what is most agreement to it [our soul’s and its journey through our Christian life], what was best [even] in our word times.”

At those forks in the road, even the purely mental / perspective ones that wash in and through our consciousness, we being immersed in our immature selves are often deceived on the best / necessary thoughts, doings, goings. Looking at ourselves from the end of ourselves can help us through this. Again there is a popularized version of this that asks the question: what you tell your younger self if you could time-machine your way back to some critical point of your young life? This is close to the right idea but it is missing the key issues of (1) needing guidance now in some critical moment about how I will later experience the results of my present choosing, (2) Who ultimately is the judge of such choosing, (3) and what, really, is my ultimate purpose of life?

Sources of Such Wisdom for Judgment ‘Now”

Sibbes notes something we all have experience both as a receive and given of wisdom guidance, namely that the perspective of a more mature, wiser source can help navigate uncertainties and deceptions. Such reliance on the wisdom perspective of another can remove the effects of present deceptions, especially those of the multitude of neurotransmitters (cortisol, dopamine, etc.) that chemically lean into our minds.

The context of being a teenager, or raising one, perfectly illustrates the benefit of external wisdom being conveyed to one not yet having it, or seeing the beginning from the perspective of the end. And as we recall our own teenage years we can capture again how it did not often seem that which was good advice was exactly that, as one later looks back.

Sibbes then raises the issue of conflict of interest. One example, which he does not give, is that a parent could guide a teen in that parent’s self-interest, as for instance a farming family may simply want to keep their teens on the farm even when, in those circumstances, that teen has a particular gift and calling away from the life of a farmer, involving school, relocation, etc.

The specific example that Sibbes cites, which was an important contextual issue of his time (early 17th Century) was the power of the Roman Catholic church which extended from the Pope downward through Bishops and local Priests to direct people in all their various courses of action (as such may have occurred). The danger in such situation, is the giver of such ‘wise direction’ has a self-interest (again in certain cases). Many a young person over the centuries has been induced to entering the Roman Catholic church to become a priest, nun, monk, servant, etc.

14.2 Keeping Our Judgment Clear

Sec. 14.2.1 Strength of Right Judgment

Sibbes begins 14.2 by stressing the importance of a right, straight, firm judgment.

Sibbes says: “All sin is either from

False principles, or
Ignorance, or
Thoughtlessness, or
Unbelief of what is true.”

Is this Biblical? Sibbes cites Gen 3:6 regarding Eve.

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food
and pleasing to the eye,
and also desirable for gaining wisdom,
she took some and ate it.
She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
Gen 3:6 (NIV, highlights mine)

In Science and Engineering we use ‘pure’ situations on which to conduct experiments or perform theoretical analysis. This is done so that all the confounding influences of the world can be isolated from from system under study to allow, to the degree possible, for an unambiguous, clarifying understanding of some law or principle of ‘nature’ (the natural world) to be grasped, and characterized.

The Fall of Genesis 3 is, or can reasonably be asserted to be, a Biblical example of such a ‘pure’ system for demonstrating at least one fundamental principle.

When we think of the Fall, beginning with Eve’s choice, our focus tends to be on the action, plucking the fruit, eating some of it, and giving some of it to Adam (it appears that the double reverence to “some” indicates that the pair shared the same fruit, as they did the same sin, turning away from God).

Mountains of text have been written on Gen Ch 3. Here, let us focus on the above verse in the context of Sibbes’s claim. I’ve highlighted in bold six key words / word-phrases, in three stages. First she had the visual intaking (“saw”) and determination of a physical virtue (“good for food”) of the forbidden fruit. Second, she experienced mental delight (“pleasing”) by the agent of her visual intaking (“eye”). Third, she reached a conclusion as to internal virtue available from the forbidden fruit (“desirable…gaining wisdom”).

One can of course note that the entire process began by her looking at what God had forbid. And, one can go back further to Gen 3:1 when she began to listen to, and dialog with, a new, mysterious being in the Garden, namely the Serpent, who claimed God was neither True nor Good, and by implication it was the Serpent who was both.

So Eve now had a ‘pure’ conflict, ‘pure’ in the sense of an arena from which we can see a fundamental issue of reality unveiled: who (or what) is True and Good?

From such encounter and visual observation Eve began her processing by processing two self-observations, that of the fruit’s physical goodness and the pleasing sensation of simply observing, even studying it. The text does not tell us how long in the few words of Gen 3:6 Eve spent in this process. It could have been hours as we count time, which I think likely.

What Eve did mentally is a form of syncretization, that is putting together two different claims / ideas in some form of integration. Both the Serpent and God had said, or intimated, that “knowledge” would come from that fruit. But God and Serpent gave opposite claims for the consequence of such “knowledge:” God had said it would be death, the Serpent that it would wisdom.

Which–God or the Serpent–was True? Which was Good?

Eve, entirely in her mental processing of the twin physical attributes–good for food, pleasing to observe–that the Serpent was the True-Good being and, here is the horror of her conclusion, that it was God Who was both false and of evil intent (as the Serpent had claimed).

Once she had reached this third step, the internal judgment of the situation, the next step was a straightforward conclusion in her ‘eyes,’ to eat of the fruit. And, worse, to extend her fallenness to her unique mate, Adam. We know then at the point of Adam’s choice, he was not deceived, as had been Eve. Adam chose Eve seeing that she had Fallen, knowing unambiguously that his choice was also binary, choosing Eve and denying God.

So, in this sense, we had the first binary computation: (1) for Eve it was the Serpent or God, choosing the Serpent, followed by (2) for Adam is was Eve or God, choosing Eve. And, so, by two binary choices away from God we have the full, complete, ineradicable, eternal entrance of sin corrupting God’s Creation.

Is, then, Sibbes right?

Sec. 14.2.2: What the Heart Likes Best? (See below on “heart”)

Sec. 14.2.3: Hindering ‘Bad’ Offspring? Keep Separate the Fuel and the Spark.

One of the mysteries of action is the “prompt” / stimulus / trigger that was its initiator. Sometimes it’s obvious, like the beep on a smart phone, or the doorbell.

But what if we are just alone, reading, surfing, working on some project…how does a non-externally-triggered occur? There is some mystery here. Perhaps it is some neural network connection that gets formed, much like the tumblers of a combination lock fall into place and open the lock once the three-numbered combination has been properly sequenced.

Sibbes uses the rather earthy example of that human offspring can be prevented by keeping separate male and female, something that every parent raising teens has known but learns to be increasingly difficult.

But what about us? What can keep a trigger we don’t want from affecting us, and, conversely, sustain those that we do want?

Does our fallen nature actually seek out triggers that we know at some deep level will ‘launch’ us into something we actually want to do out of our fallen nature? Did the Serpent initiate the conversation with Eve at that Tree because she had already went to investigate it?

Sec. 14:2.4: Using What Has Been Given to Advantage Us?

“Advantage?” “Ad” derives from “ab,” the Latin prefix meaning “in front of.” But Sibbes’s teaching by the word “advantage” is “in front of” what, exactly? “Vantage” We get from it the idea of a “viewing point,” a particularly excellent one, that provides a full grasp of some situation.

How would this understanding then apply to Sibbes’s root idea of “keeping our judgment clear” and in particular “the strength of right judgment?”

Sec. 14:2.5: Grace is Strengthened by Working Application

We have the well-known saying “idle hands are the devil’s workshop.” What would be the inverse saying following Sibbes here?

Sec 14.2.6: The Problem of Our “Hearts” and the Solution of Our “Eves”

In our culture today, the universal explanation, excuse, for anyone’s action appears to be “I have (or had) to follow my own heart.” The emphasis of the phrase is on “own,” meaning it is all private to “me me me.” The authority is “the heart,” again turning toward some element of inner being, likely driven by the familiar neurotransmitters (cortisol, dopamine, endorphins, oxytocin, serotonin, and some 95 others). Underlying such assertion is that such ‘knows’ what is ‘best’ for “me me me” at any given moment and until the very end of all things (the Koine word / idea “teleos”).

However, the Scriptures teaches us that man’s heart is fallen, and thus not just unreliable as to my good but in a perverse sense ‘reliable’ as to naturally choosing evil, turning away from God.

He who trusts in his own mind / heart (Heb. “leb” H3820) is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered / saved.”
Proverbs 28:26 (various translations).

This is such a central issue in our time and place it deserves further drilling down upon. The Hebrew word translated by various versions of “heart” or “mind” is the word “leb.” “Leb” has a rich vein of application in the Bible, occurring 860 times in the OT. Given in the pdf below are the highlighted range of applications of its use:

Vine summarizes “leb’s” meaning as:

The “heart” stands for the inner being of man, the man himself. As such, it is the fountain of all he does (Prov. 4:4). All his thoughts, desires, words, and actions flow from deep within him. Yet a man cannot understand his own “heart” (Jer. 17:9). As a man goes on in his own way, his “heart” becomes harder and harder. But God will circumcise (cut away the uncleanness of) the “heart” of His people, so that they will love and obey Him with their whole being (Deut. 30:6)
Vines Complete Exposition Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, on “Heart”

Sec. 14.2.7 Where are our Thoughts, Now…Ever?

Sibbes stresses the idea of “keeping our watch” and “being always ready armed.” At his time and place, such were common charges given to defenders of cities, land, people. Today we mostly rely on others who have been hired by public funds to do this without our direct involvement, though this may be changing at the time of this writing.

Many Christian writers have given expansive treatments to this idea over the past two thousand years. Jonathan Edwards in his “Resolutions” makes multiple references to self-governing his attitudes and actions such that at the day of his old age, or impending death (which in his case was middle-aged), he would see that such attitude or act was what was the “best” from that latter perspective.

Charles Stanley has given a helpful message and summary on the many virtues of Godly meditation. A highlighted pdf of his Sermon Notes is below:

His sermon can be found by searching YouTube on his name or the sermon title.

As almost always, there is a great Latin quote that applies: Sedendo et quiescendo anima efficitur sapiens (a man, anima, sitting and calm / quiescent, sedendo et quescendo, makes for the occasions for gaining wisdom, sapiens). In our insane world of always-buzzing communication, everywhere and insistent, the idea of sitting and quiescent even for a few minutes is rare. Even more rare, is doing so with the object of meditation being God and His Word rather than our ‘next thing,’ or specific ‘impulse(s).’

14.3 Reasons for Seeming Lack of Progress

Sec. 14.3.1. Growth is Not Always Visible, but Does Become So, Sometimes Suddenly

Sibbes again uses a phrase of his time, chopping trees for fuel for kitchen stoves and home heating: “the tree falls upon the last stroke, yet all the strokes help the work forward.” This is an apt illustration because the tree may not fall on the strike we expected it to, and so discourage us, while yet dropping on a stroke that was not recognized to be the ultimate one.

So, ‘it,’ our faithfulness, all ‘counts,’ but may not visibly so.

Sec. 14.3.2 The Secret Lust of a Man Named Achan

After the 40 wilderness years had elapsed after the Exodus, and the passing away of that adult generation who did not believe God could deliver His people into the Promised Land, it was Joshua who was charged with leading that crossing of Jordan and beginning the series of military campaigns against, first, the leading city of Jericho.

That battle was a miraculous victory with the famed ‘blowing down’ of the city’s surrounding walls of protection. This led to a certain confidence that God would continue such miraculous deliverance city by city until the entire land was subdued.

However, the picture that emerged was much more complex, beginning with the famed sin of coveting by a man named Achan. This story is found in Joshua 7. Later in the Judges and the following books, we see other forms of error, including compromise that led to prolonged difficulties.

Here is a synopsis of that event:

¹ But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the Lord burned against the people of Israel. [What follows is a serious military defeat at their next battle, at the city of Ai]….¹⁰The Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? ¹¹Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. ¹²Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you….¹⁹Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord God of Israel and give praise to him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.” ²⁰And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did: ²¹when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.” ²²So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and behold, it was hidden in his tent with the silver underneath. ²³And they took them out of the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the people of Israel. And they laid them down before the Lord. ²⁴And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver and the cloak and the bar of gold, and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his tent and all that he had. And they brought them up to the Valley of Achor. ²⁵And Joshua said, “Why did you bring trouble on us? The Lord brings trouble on you today.” And all Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones. ²⁶And they raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his burning anger. Therefore, to this day the name of that place is called the Valley of Achor.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Jos 7). (2016). Crossway Bibles.(Emphasis mine)

What was Achan’s offense?

¹⁸But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it. ¹⁹But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.”
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Jos 6). (2016). Crossway Bibles. (Emphasis mine)

In addition to the entirety of the Mosaic Law (the Book of Exodus preceded the events of the Book of Joshua), all the warriors led by Joshua were to abstain (“keep yourselves from”) the “things devoted to destruction” and to bring all the metals of value into “the treasury of the Lord.” Thus there were two categories of prohibition, one to be destroyed, not preserved, and one to be preserved in the nation of Israel’s account.

Achan’s keeping for himself, and his family, of the gold and silver is a clearcut violation of two of the 10 Commandments (more below). His keeping the “beautiful cloak” was, an additional transgression. The keyword is “devoted thing:”

744a חֵרֶם (ḥērem) devoted thing, ban. The root ḥrm [has as its] basic meaning. .. the exclusion of an object from the use or abuse of man and its irrevocable surrender to God. The word is related to an Arabic root meaning “to prohibit, especially to ordinary use.” The word “harem,” meaning the special quarters for Muslim wives, comes from it. It is related also to an Ethiopic root, meaning “to forbid, prohibit, lay under a curse.” Surrendering something to God meant devoting it to the service of God or putting it under a ban for utter destruction….Usually ḥāram means a ban for utter destruction, the compulsory dedication of something which impedes or resists God’s work, which is considered to be accursed before God….
ḥērem. Devoted thing, devotion, ban. This noun derivative is used twenty-eight times in the OT to refer either to the object devoted or to the ban itself. The story of Jericho’s fall to Israel provides clear examples of the first use. The whole city is called a “devoted thing” (Josh 6:17), and all Israelites are warned to keep themselves from the “devoted thing,” which likely is a reference to items within the city all of which had to be burned if flammable and if not, given to God. When Achan disobeys and takes of these items, Israel’s army is defeated by the people of Ai, and God says that Israel has now become a “devoted thing” itself until the “devoted thing” (Achan in his sin) is destroyed from its midst (Josh 7:12–13). So, then, Jericho the heathen city was “devoted” because it stood in the way of God’s work through Israel in making conquest of Canaan. Israel became “devoted” because of sin which entered and made the nation unusable in God’s work. Achan in his sin became “devoted” because he was the reason for Israel’s hindrance as the people of God.
Wood, L. J. (1999). 744 חָרַם. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 325). Moody Press.

In the Septuagint’s parallel passage, the word translated by “devoted things” or “devoted to destruction” is as below. (The Septuagint, known by LXX, is the Koine Greek translation of the OT some 200 years before the NT period, and which was widely used by Jews in Israel as well as around the world).

Strong’s G331. ἀνάθεμα anáthema; , neut. noun from anatíthēmi (394), to place, lay up. A gift given by vow or in fulfillment of a promise, and given up or devoted to destruction for God’s sake (Sept.: Num. 21:1–3; Deut. 13:16–18); therefore, given up to the curse and destruction, accursed (1 Cor. 12:3; 16:22; Gal. 1:8, 9). In Rom. 9:3, estrangement from Christ and His salvation. The word does not denote punishment intended as discipline but being given over or devoted to divine condemnation. It denotes an indissoluble vow. See also Acts 23:14; Gal. 1:9. Anáthema is not to be confused with anáthēma (334), a votive offering or an offering not involving sacrifice, something consecrated in the temple, a gift, an offering (Luke 21:5). Deriv.: anathematízō (332), to declare anathema, to curse; katanáthema (2652), an accursed thing.
Strong’s G332. ἀναθεματίζω anathematízō; from anáthema (331), a curse. To bind by a curse (Acts 23:12, 14, 21) or simply to curse (Mark 14:71).
Zodhiates, S. (2000). In The complete word study dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). AMG Publishers.

There is some mystery about the full nature of the “beautiful cloak,” but we have four important clues. First, it was such offense to God that despite its likely high economic value, it was to be destroyed unlike the precious metals (which included iron). The second clue is that because it was a cloak of beauty it must have been used in some ritual context, as opposed to something to keep oneself warm or dry. It was likely a garment worn in contexts of festivals or worship events by a priest (or priestess) or some ‘holy’ mediator / representative. Third, such item was declared accursed by God, strongly suggesting it was a direct offense against the first three of the 10 Commandments (see discussion below). Finally we are told that the cloak originated in Shinar, an ancient and very prosperous area and city of the Mesopotamian River Valley from God had called Abraham some 600 years prior. Shinar is closely associated with Babylon, the city, the region, the empire, the religious system (including, perhaps, the very site of the Tower of Babel in the antediluvian period), and the metaphorical (and physical?) finally enemy of God to be destroyed (see Revelation Ch ). Below are two additional descriptions, one of Shinar and the other of Babylon.

BEAUTIFUL MANTLE FROM SHINAR (Heb., “cloak of Shinar [or Babylon]”). An ample robe with figures of men and animals either embroidered or interwoven in the fashion for which the Babylonians were noted. It came to mean a valuable piece of clothing in general (Josh. 7:21).
Unger, M. F., Harrison, R. K., Vos, H. F., Barber, C. J., & Unger, M. F. (1988). In The new Unger’s Bible dictionary (Rev. and updated ed.). Moody Press.

BABYLON IN THE NEW TESTAMENT — In the Book of Revelation the world in rebellion against God is called “Babylon.” The Old Testament prophets often prophesied the fall of Babylon, the capital of an empire that destroyed God’s city, Jerusalem, and carried His people away as captives. So in Revelation Babylon is a word-picture for a society that persecuted God’s people but that God will eventually destroy.
When the Book of Revelation was written, Babylon may have been a kind of code name for pre-Christian Rome, which was built on seven hills (Rev. 17:9) and which was already persecuting the church. Since that time, generations of Christians have been able to identify their own Babylons and have found reassurance in Revelation’s message.
In Revelation 14:8 Babylon’s power to make people resist God’s claims in the gospel is admitted, but its doom is certain. In Revelation 16:19 Babylon is a “great city” that falls because God remembers its sin and brings His punishment. Throughout chapters 17–18 Babylon is prominent, pictured as a prostitute because it seduces people away from God with its glamor. But it is a false union that cannot satisfy.
“Babylon” stands over against the church, the “New Jerusalem” (Rev. 21:2), which is “the bride, the Lamb’s wife” (Rev. 21:9). God reveals the “mystery” or divine truth (Rev. 17:5) about it and all such manmade societies that are organized independently of God. Its fall is celebrated by God’s people (Rev. 18:20; 19:1–5).
In Matthew 1:11–12, 17, Judah’s captivity in Babylon is mentioned in Jesus’ genealogy. In Acts 7:43 Babylon appears in Stephen’s famous speech about the history of the Jewish people. In 1 Peter 5:13 “Babylon” probably refers to the city of Rome.
Youngblood, R. F., Bruce, F. F., & Harrison, R. K., Thomas Nelson Publishers, eds. (1995). In Nelson’s new illustrated Bible dictionary. Thomas Nelson, Inc.

It is Babylon, literally or metaphorically, that is deemed by God in Revelation as the “Great Whore” (“prostitute” is too polite a term) and is in fact the mother of all “whores:” “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.” (Rev. 17:5, that name was proudly written on her forehead, suggesting her great claim of authority over all her ‘offspring’) It is no wonder that Achan’s sin has a particular prominence in the Book of Joshua and occurs immediately upon the first military conquest. It is like, exactly like, the other great whore Jezebel who sought to succeed the conquering of her king-husband Ahab by seducing the newly victorious king. For the TRI, it is willing to trade alliances to survive and thrive with whoever is the next TRI that can undergo its seduction, just as the Serpent did on Adam through Eve, Eve being a picture of TRI (the religious system, in particular the common pagan motif of a mother goddess), and Adam a picture of TPI (the First Adam, the titular head of the human race). Additionally there is a deeply mysterious reference to Babylon in the closing words of Peter’s First Epistle: “She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son.” 1 Peter 5:13 (ESV). Where, what, or who was that “Babylon” has been widely debated for 2000 years. All we know for sure is (1) it is referred to as a female (“she”), (2) that “she” is “chosen” suggesting that God’s called out ones, a church, is gathered there at that time, and (3) that name “Babylon” triggers connections back to Babel down to the very end of spacetime in the closing chapters of Revelation, with Achan’s sin one more link in that chain.

Here is a well-reasoned interpretation of this enigmatic reference to “Babylon”in 1 Peter 5:13:

Babylon can hardly be the ancient city of Babylon in Mesopotamia which is prominent in the Old Testament, for by the first century it was a small and obscure place (see Introduction, p. 34), for which there is no evidence of a visit by Peter (or Mark: see the end of this verse), or even of a Christian church. But there is good evidence outside the New Testament that Peter was in Rome about the time this letter was written (see Introduction, pp. 34f.), and it is best to understand Babylon as a reference to Rome (just as in Rev. 16:19; 17:5; 18:2). It is not that Peter was trying to disguise his location, but rather that he is carrying through the imagery of the church as the new people of God, the true Israel (see note at 2:10), which he has maintained since the word ‘Dispersion’ in 1:1. Just as in the Old Testament Babylon was the centre of worldly power and opposition to God’s people, so in the time of the New Testament Rome is the earthly centre of a worldwide system of government and life which opposes the gospel. Yet there Peter is in the midst of it.
And Peter is not alone. She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, must mean the church at Rome—for no one individual would be so well known to all the churches of Peter’s readers as to be identifiable from such an anonymous reference. The whole church at Rome sends you greetings. And so does my son Mark indicates the presence of Mark with Peter and shows a close association with the author of the second Gospel. Son means not physical son but spiritual ‘son’, close associate and assistant in the service of Christ (cf. 1 Tim. 1:2; 2 Tim. 1:2).
Grudem, W. A. (1988). 1 Peter: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 17, pp. 208–209). InterVarsity Press. (Highlights mine)

When warriors storm a conquered city it is the custom of war that pillaging and looting takes place to which the individual soldiers and their commanders feel is due them, “to the victors…go the spoils.” Accordingly the priorities are given to the most fertile-for-looting sites. There are usually two places where the most hoarded wealth resides: at the centers of TPI (The Political Industry, which is often simply the king’s ‘palace(s)’ as he himself is ‘the TRI’), and of TRI (The Religion Industry), and in many contexts they are co-joined. So, one can reasonably speculate, that Achan did not just ‘happen’ upon the prohibited loot but sought it out, first perhaps at the center of TPI for its gold and silver (and iron) storehouse, and then perhaps also finding the beautiful cloak, or perhaps by his searching the storehouse of TRI. Highly value items would have been securely hidden by the residents in Jericho as they had seven days of seeing the potential invasion, and such events were not unknown in the ancient world. Even today there are regular finds of treasures that were stored deeply within the stone walls of structures in the hope that surviving the invasion its owner could restore certain / much of his wealth.

Further, Achan would not have been able to stuff these many large and heavy looted treasures in his pockets and head back to his own tent and bury them. Perhaps he himself hid them in the then ruins of Jericho and secretly returned over several nights with his family (hence their death was part of the judgment).

Let us consider further the nature of the sin of Achan by reviewing the 10 Commandments in this context. (Of course, in the course of the war, there had been additional restrictions placed upon the military men, which violation by Achan was itself an extremely serious offense against the commanding officer, Joshua). Here are the 10 Commandments, briefly worded:

So, Sibbes reminds us to check within ourselves to see whether we have retained a spirit of Achan’s coveting.

You shall have no other Gods before me
You shall not make for yourselves an idol
You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy
Honor your father and your mother
You shall not murder
You shall not commit adultery
You shall not steal
You shall not give false testimony
You shall not covet

Achan likely violated the first two Commandments, and even the 3rd (because he was a representative of the One True God) by retaining what appears to be an instrument of worship to another ‘god’ that he was misusing, specifically joining, the name of the Lord with it. (Did he also violate the 4th Commandment, as he may have because there could well have been a sabbath rest declared after the destruction of Jericho during which time Achan and family did their ‘midnight run’ to retrieve the stash he had hidden).

The Ten Commandments are referred to as such by Scripture of the list; however, no where is the list of 10 enumerated, meaning the Bible never gives each commandment its ‘number.’ So various denominations / communions of faith has numbered them differently than shown above (Roman Catholics, for instance, combine the first two into one, and expand the last one, coveting, into two).

Additionally one can always consider every list in the Bible as to whether there is some meaning beyond just a random grouping. Clearly with the Ten Commandments they divide into (at least) two groups, the first four being with respect to God and the last six with respect one another, a division that has sometimes been called the “two tablets of the law.”

One can further consider whether each of such two groups is: (1) headed by the first, and exemplified / expanded by the rest, or (2) culminated by the final one in the list, (3) one group in accordance to the “headed” framework” and the other with the “culmination” framework, or (4) none of the above. My inclination is option (3), namely: the first group of four is headed by Commandment 1, and the second group of six is culminated / climaxed by Commandment 10, such that the entire list of Ten has a bookend nature (also known as a chiasmus in poetic expression, though a typical chiasmus is symmetrical, and this would not be).

The added significance to Commandment 1 is echoed by Sibbes himself who notes that violations against one’s fellow man, which transgression some form of norm / law of the community such as stealing, stems from abandoning accountability toward and respect of God. (See Sec. 14.4 below)

The added significance to Commandment 10 is suggested by several thoughts. First, it was very grounds of Eve’s sin from deception in the Garden (Gen 3). She saw the forbidden fruit, and that it was beautiful, and desired / coveted it. Adam, it appears, performed the same act of coveting when he chose to join Eve in sinning overtly and directly against God, Commandment 1. We can also observe that the five sins against one’s fellow man that precede the 10th Commandment, namely Commandments 5 through 9, all have a dimension of coveting to them. Finally, we know only a little about the rebellion and fall of Satan (Lucifer, the Morning Star) but one thing we are told is that Satan desired to be like God (“I will be like the Most High” Isaiah 14:12-14); in human terms that reflects an extreme transgression of coveting, desiring for oneself that which is transgressive. And we can note that this is the common line of attack / temptation used by Satan as it was against Jesus, and existed throughout the OT and continued in the NT and down to this day.

Putting this to practical application, what then should we take away from Sibbes’s admonition that we self-examine to assure that we are not experiencing defeat because we are of the sin of Achan? We can at least start with a two-fold test: (1) have we put, literally or effectively, another ‘god’ before The God? and / or (2) are we immersed in some passion of coveting?

Sec. 14.4 All Should Side with Christ

The root issue of the entire Ch 14 is the answer to the question “Who is in charge here?” Sibbes admonishes us to “let Christ be the chief governor of the family.”

Sibbes also gives us a keen insight, again there’s a beautiful Latin phrase, that explains how rebellion gets expressed in people’s lives:

None despise man’s law but those that despise Christ’s first. Nemo humanam auctoritatem contemnit, nisi qui divinam prius contempsit (No one despises human authority unless he first despises divine authority).
Sibbes, Sec. 14.4

And Sibbes closes the chapter with reminding us that God works on us in a similar way that we recognize must be done on any people to galvanize them into some rigorous performance, be it sport, work, or war:

Men labour to cherish the spirit and mettle, as they term it, of those they train up, because they think they will have use of it in the manifold affairs and troubles of this life.
Sibbes, Sec 14.4. “Spirit and mettle” are terms that describe the energy and perseverance that can be formed by rigorous, vigorous training.

Sibbes Ch 15 here:

Sibbes Study Session #13

Chapter 13: Grace Shall Reign

This Sibbes Chapter 13 gives the third conclusion deriving from Sibbes’s observation that “Christ’s Government shall be victorious.” This continues his theme that whatever is our circumstances, even as bruised reeds / smoldering flax, no only does Christ welcome and redeem our condition He does so to a condition of complete and final victory. So just as it may be inconceivable that we could receive the benevolent attention of the Lord God, Creator of the Universe in the initial instance–as we are unknown and of no importance even to the temporal human leaders of our present spacetime–it is also, and equally, true that such benevolent attention will not be without becoming finally and fully fruitful. The latter condition is even more astonishing than the first because as little as we can conceive of our experiencing the love of God it seems even more amazing after having had such experience that subsequent stumbles in faith and work has not, does not, dissuade God from completing the Work that He began.

The sections in this Ch 13 are:

Why Christ’s Kingdom Must Prevail
Why the Enemy Seems Victorious
Consolations for Weak Christians
Evidences of Christ’s Rule in Us

Here are a few Sibbes’s Ch 13 ’nuggets’…

Conscience makes a man kingly or contemptible….The sharpest conflict which the soul has is between the conscience and God’s justice.
[we have been] begotten by the immortal seed of the Spirit.
Truth is a beam of Christ’s Spirit, both in itself and as it is engrafted into the soul.
The purpose of Christ’s coming was to destroy the works of the devil, both for us and in us;
and the purpose of the resurrection was, as well as sealing to us the assurance of his victory,
God’s children usually, in their troubles, overcome by suffering….[and this] is by degrees
virtutis custos infirmitas (weakness is the keeper of virtue)….when we have fallen, let us believe we shall rise again…
So let us never give up, but, in our thoughts, knit the beginning, progress and end together
rooted faith, fides radicata [the Latin origin of our English word “radical” means “root,” “core”].
Weakness with watchfulness will stand, when strength with too much confidence fails.
Having a well ordered, uniform life, not consisting of fits and starts, shows a well ordered heart; as in a clock,
when the hammer strikes well, and the hand of the dial points well, it is a sign that the wheels are rightly set.
[Here we see another of Sibbes’s poignant contemporary illustrations…wherein he is thinking of every city’s central clock that governs the activities of its town square]

Sec 13.1 Why Christ’s Kingdom Must Prevail

Sibbes answers the question in six parts.

Our Conscience. Within our human state of being there exists a judge-discerner we call “conscience” (the compound word derives from the Latin roots: with + knowing). In purely natural terms our conscience marks out the boundary or right/wrong, good/evil, just/unjust, better/worse, from which our choices either conform or condemn us. However, that dividing line, the “/” in the above word-pairs, moves with time, choices, and consequences. But, increasingly such choices forms a network, in physiological terms a neural network in our brain that engrains and moves (to some degree) the positions of that “/.” The famous psychologist William James noted this by an equally-famous quote: “We are spinning our own fates, good or evil, and never to be undone…Every smallest stroke of virus, or of vice, leaves it never so little scar.” Thus, follows power from our nature and nurture. Sibbes brings us to recognize that however active and powerful are such natural forces upon ourselves, there is an even greater, external (extra nos, outside of ourselves) power, that of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
External Enemies. If our conscience, first fallen and yet all the more powerful, is overcome (in and by time) so also is the condition of our external enemies. They do not cease to exist; but they have had extinguished their power to prevail, though there are battles to be fought, and setbacks as part of God’s own plan for increasing our humility and dependence.
Truth. Pilate’s question of Jesus was “What is Truth?” Jesus gave him no answer (that we know). But the Holy Spirit / Comforter / Revealer, sent to indwell us by Jesus, does bring Truth through God’s revealed Word. The lies, by the Father of Lies (Satan-accuser / Devil-deceiver), continue and are mighty toward us and our environment. But God’s Spirit is not idle, nor defeated: “…as He dwells [within]…so He will drive out all that rise against Him, until He is all in all” (Sibbes 13.1.3).
Victory. The beginning of the Spirit’s work in bringing us from darkness into light, from flesh-only to Spirit-indwelling, is not only the evidence of a beginning but the certainty of the final victory: “O death where is your sting?”
Softened Heart. Christ as King is also our Loving Father who nurtures, supports, and changes our inner man such that His Kingdom will be so established.
Destruction of Satan. Christ came into the world system “to destroy the works of the devil, both for us and in us” (Sibbes 13.1.6) On the Cross we hear the proclamation: “It is finished!” The “it” must include the destruction foretold. “Christ at length will fulfill his purpose in us, and faith rests assured of it, and this assurance is very operative, stirring us up to join with Christ in his purposes.” (Sibbes 13.1.6)

Sec 13.2 Why the Enemy Seems Victorious

Sibbes here addresses the everyday conundrum of the Christian walk: from our trudging perspective it appears more failure than victory, such that we even come to doubt whether any of all this is true, either of us or even of anyone. This is a particularized version of one of the great mysteries of life: Why Evil? (This itself is a subcategory of the even greater question known as Theodicy, which asks “Is God Just?” or more-commonly, “Given the world as we have it, how can it be that God is Just?”

Put the other way around, if we claim as given that God Is Just–full stop–then how can there then be Evil? The simple answer, which is not fully satisfying, is heaven comes later.

Sibbes gives his insight in four parts:

Suffering is Part of the Plan. The Divine principle is that God overcomes evil by enduring and ultimately overcoming it. At a macro-view, “evil” won in the Garden many millennia ago, and before Christ’s redemptive payment and justified resurrection, with two more millennia since. For reasons that in large part must remain with the hidden Will of God, He has permitted time and struggle, large and long, as the path toward heave.
Victory is by Degrees. There are many Biblical illustrations that God does bring true victory but it only by degrees. God grants to Abram (Abraham) the Promised Land but not initially full ownership of it. God promises Abraham heirs biological heirs, but there’s a 24 year wait. God promises Israel in captivity that He will deliver them out of it, but there’s a multi-hundred year delay. God promises entry and possession of the Promised Land, but there’s a 40 year journey in the desert. God promises victory led by Joshua over the seven evil nations in God’s Land but it takes warfare, including defeats, and time.
God Works by ‘Contraries.’ Sibbes notes that a consistent theme of revelation is that God does what appears to be ‘opposite world,’ namely what He promises appears to begin in exactly the opposite direction to what one would have reasonably imagined.
Backward Blesses. Sibbes further expands on the ‘contraries’ point to note that such ‘opposite world’ causes the greater benefit. As is often the case, there exists a succinct Latin phrase that captures such unexpected benefit: virtutis custos infirmitas (weakness is the keeper of virtue); we recognize “virtue” and “infirmity” from their English proximity, and “custos” is related to our English word “custody” (in the control of) and “custodian” (as the building’s ‘super’). It is by one’s weakness, even affliction, that we come into the custody of God’s virtue. How is that possible, and even if it is, why have it be this way? (i.e., Why Evil?). Sibbes gives us another one of those beautiful Latin phrases: fides radicata (rooted faith), where “fides” extends to our English “fidelity” and “faith,” but “radicata” to “radical” meaning something different than the Latin, namely “extreme” instead of Latin’s “rooted,” “grounded,” “founded.” The biggest life-issue as to our walk is what is, exactly, enduringly, my own fides radicata? Is it that God all things well–He is indeed Just, and Loving?

“It matters not so much what ill is in us, as what good; not what corruptions, but how we regard them; not what our particular failings are so much as what the thread and tenor of our lives are, for Christ’s dislike of that which is amiss in us turns not to the hatred of our persons but to the victorious subduing of all our infirmities.” (Sibbes 13.2.4)

It is not “what happens,” but what we hold to be true at our radicata, and say, about “what happens.”

Sec 13.3 Consolations for Weak Christians

The reality is that we are all weak as Christians and, as noted above, that is intended to bring us in custody to faith. But it can easily bring us to doubt. What arrests this latter is: “That little that is in us is fed with an everlasting spring.” (Sibbes 13.3)

There is a wonderful verse of poetry on this point at Proverbs 13:14. “The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death.” (NIV)

There is a deeper beauty in this verse by looking carefully at its Koine Greek expression, as it is expressed in the Septuagint (LXX), the OT translation of ca 200 B.C. that was the primary OT ‘Bible’ of the Jewish people during the NT period.

“The Teaching.” The Koine word is “nomos” which can mean rule, law. In this context I prefer translating it as “life-rule” or “-guideline / principles.”
“Fountain.” The Koine word is “pay-gay” which does mean fountain. It conveys an upward force. There is a beautiful word play of “pay-gay” with “snares” as below.
“Turning a person.” This phrase does not occur in the Koine but derives by implication from “nomos” as described above, namely one’s life guidelines.
“From.” The Koine has the preposition more graphically translated has “under,” which fits, importantly, the words that follow.
“—.” Not directly translated by the NIV is the Koine word for “unwise.” This stands in juxtaposition to the opening phrase describing “the wise.” So we are dealing here, as is often the case in Proverbs, two opposites, the wise and the unwise (i.e. the fool).
“The snares.” The Koine word is for a “trap,” which is slightly better than “snare” because of the above preposition conveying “under.” And the contrast is better made with the “foundation” with its upward impetus. But there is an additional beauty here. The Koine word for “trap” is “pah-gis.” So we have a word play contrasting the upward free flow of “pay-gay” with the downward lockdown of “pah-gis.”

So that “everlasting spring” metaphor used by Sibbes has a lovely fitting together with the contrast given us in Proverbs 13:14 between the person who is guided by a rightly-formed life-principle contrasted with the fool lacking such guide.

“The church of Christ, begotten by the Word of truth, has the doctrine of the apostles for her crown, and tramples the moon, that is, the world and all worldly things, under he fee (Rev. 12.1). Every one that is born of God overcometh the world’ (1 John 5:4). Faith, whereby especially Christ rules, sets the soul so high that it looks down on all other things as far below, as having represented to it, by the Spirit of Christ, riches, honor, beauty and pleasures of a higher nature.” (Sibbes 13.3, closing paragraph)

Sec 13.4 Evidences of Christ’s Rule in Us

As further consolation for “weak Christians” in this closing section of Sibbes Ch 13 he gives us eight evidences of Christ’s Rule in us.

Justification. Here’s Sibbes uses “just” in a different way. Every person can be asked on what basis is their justification for their way of life, as they have prescribed it and lived it. (It is interesting to ask people such questions…and listen hyper-carefully). A question that always be asked in response is: On what basis do you know that you (your prescribed way of life) is correct? What is the foundation of your belief system? For us, in Christ, our answer is Christ, and Him Crucified, and all that derives from that, as we written elsewhere on this site from Calvin’s Little Book of five summary chapters.
Strength. Sibbes uses the phrase “reasons of religion,” which does not properly reflect his meaning in our time and place because “religion” has lost its primary meaning to mean almost anything, including evil. We have a strength of revelation (The Bible), and the Indwelling Spirit of God.
Outcome. Given the above, we have a confidence in a wonderful outcome, even in our immediate suffering, but ultimately in Glory with God our Father.
Truth. There is such a thing a Truth, Pilate excepted. And we have been given it. In the opening of John’s Gospel we see Jesus disclosed to us as the Eternal Logos, whereby Logos is commonly-translated “Word.” But “Logos” is much more than “Word.” It is certainly Truth (John 14:6 Jesus gave one of His seven “I AM” statement, namely “I am Truth.”). But it is more than just something factually correct. It is the revelation of ultimate Reality.
Satisfaction. We believe, as persons indwell by God Himself, we are that “naos” that OT “Holy Place,” that so we are under the best possible Government, and are so satisfied.
Order. Life in Christ is (should be) that of “well order, uniform…not consists of fits and starts.” We are always to be on one very particular path that never changes, though sufferings enter in and comforts as well, each in some turn and harmony, the path never changes. (Bunyan’s Pilgrims Progress is a beautiful illustration of this).
Comfort. That which we might otherwise count as some “loss,” and truly be even that, becomes also the occasion of Christ’s Comfort.
Faithfulness. A continuing amazement of the Christian walk is the opportunity to find delight in Christ’s Way in contrast even to our naturally-preferred way. Such contrast, opposite, is not of our doing but our delight, and confirms our being in Christ (“in Christ” being a favorite phrase in the Epistles, and remarkable indeed).

“In Christ” occurs 96 times in the Epistles of the NT (according to the NASB 1995 translation), and likely many other times “in Him.” In all or almost all of such examples “Christ” occurs as a singular, masculine, noun (of course) in a particular part of speech known as the Dative Case. There are three primary uses of the Koine Dative: (1) indirect object, (2) position in space or time (locative Dative), or (3) by the agency pf, or under the instrumentality of. What is primarily intended by such use “in Christ” is certainly the 3rd use–agency / instrumentality of–and metaphorically the 2nd use–location in space/time. (Christ is not ‘out, or up, there’ looking down and wondering what the hell is going on, and puzzled how to respond).

Sibbes Ch 14 here:

Sibbes Study Session #12

Here in Ch 12, Sibbes does part two of what he began in Ch 11. In both chapters her refers to God’s “judgment” as a term for Kingship, Ruler in our lives. In Ch 11 he emphasize the importance of understanding that the Lord Jesus Christ is not just “Savior,” essential as that is, but additionally, finally, ultimately “Lord” as well. Even His fuller name–Lord Jesus Christ–says just that. “Jesus” is the Koine Greek word for the Hebrew name “Joshua,” which means “Jehovah (Yahweh) Saves,” and of course “Christ” is the Koine translation of the Hebrew “Messiah” which means Deliverer, or Savior. And then we have “Lord” which means in a given context Ruler, Governor, King. Some will say that “Lord” is a term of respect, something like “sir,” or “Professor,” or even “Rabbi.” And in some contexts it does mean that. But there are many passages where it is clear that “Lord” means something much more, though it includes, a reference to respect, honor and includes, appropriately, worship.

Sibbes Ch 12: Christ’s Wise Government

Sibbes expands on such “Judgment” (Lordship) rule of God Christ by two separate considerations, which he calls “branches.”

Spiritual Government of Christ characterized by “judgment” and “wisdom,” and
Such Government is characterized by “graciousness.”

So, Sibbes contends, these must both be recognized, and in that order. Together we terms these two branches by the title of this chapter “Christ’s Wise Government” This can be understood to be the outworking of “Judgment:” Christ as Wise, Sovereign, and Righteous then exercises judgment–wise assessment of ultimate reality and the best end purposes of all actions–appropriate to the person and Purpose of God.

12.1 Judgment and Wisdom

Sibbes’s theme sentence in this section is: “a well guided life by the rules of Christ stands with the strongest and highest reason of all.”

The introductory phrase above–“a well guided life”–is close in wording to one to the central question of mankind (at least the self-aware people), namely “What is the / a good life?”

Sibbes lived in the era we now call “the enlightenment,” characterized by a rediscovery of the ancient, classic original Greek texts of philosophical and “wisdom” literature (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, Zeno of Citium [Stoicism]). Much of such literature has affected the discussion and conclusions to the Good Life Question’ (GLQ) down to this present day. Yet, Sibbes not only makes no mention of such prevalent writings and theories but he has changed the question only slightly in terms of wording but massively in terms of framework.

Sibbes ask us not what is “good” but what is “well guided.” There is an enormous difference between the use of these two terms. The one leads us to self-discovery and self-authority, that is: not only am I (the self) the one who can answer such question, however I may be guided by the “wisdom” of others or certain principles of investigation, but, also, only I am (the self) authorized to implement my self-discovery into such a life.

Sibbes, gives no space to such self-discovery / authority. Rather, he asks, what does is truly a well guided life, and in what way does it function / operate? This distinction in this most-basic question of human life, is the fundamental ‘fork in the road.’

Consider below the Scripture that Sibbes sites in this Section 12.1 as given in the pdf directly below:

The Flaw of Self-Choosing

There is an important Greek term about the authority of self-choosing: autexousiou (transliterated). It arises originally (I believe) from the above cited Classic Greek philosophers. Our interest here is how it is handled and applied Biblically by famed Theologian Francis Turretin )1623 – 1687), author of the classic three volume systematic theology Institutes of Elenctic Theology. In particular, he asked, and answered, five key questions under the heading (his “Tenth Topic”) as to “The Free Will of Man in a State of Sin.” In addresses these questions he makes reference to the above term, autexousiou, which means self will / authority (auto, self; plus ex, out of, plus ousiou, being). Though this is not an everyday term it is useful for our consideration because it encompasses the triplet of core ideas: the Self, by Itself, emanating authoritative, rightful judgments.

And, so, the most basic question is this: in our human condition, we as Believers know to be fallen–based upon the revelation of Scripture, and experience in our own self-awareness of our basic nature–are we able to know “good,” and by knowing it, to “do good?”

The popular answer in our spacetime, and perhaps of every spacetime, is “Yes!” and “Yes!” God gives us many examples in the Bible of such self-confidence and self-assertion, including at the very presentation by God of the Ten Commandments:

..came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain,³while Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: ⁴‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. ⁵Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; ⁶and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.” ⁷So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. ⁸All the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” And Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord
Exodus 19:2-8 (ESV, highlights mine)

The context of the above quote is the event precedent, namely the giving of the Law of the Ten Commandments in Exodus Ch 20. Before The Law was given, God through Moses asked of the people their intention to obey, to which they replied as in the bold text above.

The rest of the OT gives clear, conclusive, convincing, awful evidence that such confidence was totally unfounded. And, by the time of Christ, it had become so perverted in its self-delusion that the Jewish leadership (the Pharisees and the rest) followed ultimately by the will of the people that Jesus should not only be put to death but done in the most accursed way, hanging ‘on a tree,’ the death of the Cross. Such was the judgment of The Religion Industry (TRI), deriving its authority, as it claimed, from the OT itself, and joined with The Political Industry (TPI) of the Roman Empire in complete alignment of purpose, putting to death in the most horrific, shameful way this “Jesus of Nazareth” Who they not only failed to rightly identify as to His Being but held Him in the highest conceivable contempt.

Now, on what imaginable grounds can it be contended that man in his present fallen condition is capable of rightly knowing, let alone doing, “good?”

So, what do we make of the idea of rightful self-authority (autexousiou)? Below is Turretin’s succinct summary of the full scope of God’s Biblical Revelation.

Turretin’s Institutes Ten Topic The Free Will of Man in a State of Sin, Question 4

Turretin poses this question as follows:

FOURTH QUESTION – Whether
(A) the free will in a state of sin is so a servant of and enslaved by sin that it can do nothing but sin; or
(B) whether it still has the power to incline itself to good, not only civil and externally moral, but internal and spiritual, answering accurately to the will of God prescribed in the law.

[Turretin’s Judgment and answer was]
(A) The former we affirm;
(B) the latter we deny,

[which Turretin then noted that such conclusion was contrary to all three primary, non-Reformed theological opponents of his time, namely}
against
(1) the papists, [Turretin’s term for the Roman Catholic church’s position]

(2) Socinians [referrence to followers, first of Socinius in the mid-16th Century, later becoming the Unitarian movement, adopting a “rationalist” interpretation of the Bible and denying the true Deity of Jesus Christ] and

(3) Remonstrants [the term used for the followers of Jacob Arminius which opposed the systematic theology of John Calvin in his Institutes and the foundation of Reformed Doctrine, by such “remonstrants” (i.e., opponents) raising five famous objections, which were then answered by the Council (Synod) of Dort in 1619-20 by what is today known as TULIP, or the Five Points].
Turretin’s Institutes of Elenctic Theology, with my emendations and commentary in parentheses and brackets.

The above analysis requires a careful reading to grasp fully the issue and claims. It deals with both the basis on which we, as the Elect of God, enter into such state of Predestination and Calling but also on the means by which Sanctification itself must occur. In short, Turretin, as did Calvin, Luther, and other Reformers, recognized that the Scripture declares us to be in our natural state dead unto sin.

¹And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, ²in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, ³among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. ⁴But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in Hiskindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹not of works, lest anyone should boast. ¹⁰For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:1-10 NKJV (highlights mine)

Thus, we have no basis for boasting or pride or self-confidence as to our entering into Grace, nor continuing in Grace having once and for all entered, nor the doing of “good” from such state of Grace.

And, thus, as Sibbes has introduced this Section, we as God’s Own sheep, are in need of a “Well [Good] Guided [Judged] Life.”

12.2 The Need for Heavenly Light

Sibbes here makes clear our need for God’s “light” (revelation) of both the true “good” but also of the right means by which such good is captured and used for doing.

As in many contexts we find that our inner being hears two different voices, admonitions: that from God, which is contrary to our first birth nature, and that from Satan which is in accord with our first birth nature. But is the reality that we have a second birth, one from “above,” that creates the contrariness within wherein we ‘hear’ both, completely contrary voices, God’s from the new nature and Satan’s from the old. It is Paul’s lament, and our own:

¹³Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. ¹⁴For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. ¹⁵For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. ¹⁶If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. ¹⁷But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. ¹⁸For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. ¹⁹For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. ²⁰Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. ²¹I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. ²²For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. ²³But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. ²⁴O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ²⁵I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
Romans 7:13-25 NKJV

12.3 Where Christ’s Government is Set-Up

Sibbes’s key point is that Christ Government (Judgment) is both the knowing to do God’s will but the means, and specifically the desiring, of doing it.

…wherever true wisdom judgment are, there Christ has set up His government, because where [His] wisdom is it directs us, not only to understand, but to order our ways aright….not only the brain but the heart itself is taught…not only know what they should do but are taught the very doing of it…[such that] There is a sweet harmony among God’s truth, His judgment, and His whole conversation [which word I understand to me the communication / connection between God and one’s new nature].
Sibbes, Ch 12.3

Such “harmony” is that God’s “heavenly light” of Sibbes Ch 12.2 is united with God’s “Government” (“Judgment”) of Sibbes Ch 12.3 producing both the good knowing but the desire and means of good doing.

12.4 How Christ Governs Us

Here Sibbes emphasizes the absolute necessity of God’s proactivity within us for true “good” to become expressed and real.

Judgment should have a throne in the heart of every Christian. Not that judgment alone will work a change. There must be grace to alter the bent and sway of the will before it will yield to be wrought upon by the understanding. But God has so joined these together that whenever he savingly shines on the understanding he gives a soft and pliable heart. For without a work upon the heart by the Spirit of God it will follow its own inclination to that which it loves, whatever the judgment shall say to the contrary.
Sibbes 12.4

And such is necessary because, Sibbes says: “There is no natural proportion [true connectedness] between an sanctified heart and a sanctified judgment [discernment / Wisdom as to the doing of “good”].”

And, so: “Where grace has subdued the heart, unruly passions do not cast such a mist before the understanding that it does not see in particular cases what is best.”

12.5 The Effects of This in Practice

Finally, Sibbes here makes clear the essentiality of Christ’s Government in us:

No wicked man can be a wise man. Without Christ’s Spirit the soul is in confusion, without beauty and form, as all things were in the chaos before the creation. The whole soul is out of joint till it be set right again by him whose office is to `restore all things’.
Sibbes Ch 12.5

Thus it is that: “Christ as a new conqueror changes the fundamental laws of old Adam and establishes a government of his own.”

Sibbes Ch 13 here:

Sibbes Study Session #11

Sibbes Ch 11: Christ’s Judgment and Victory

Sibbes now looks ahead to that time when Christ has “set up an absolute government [perhaps better expressed as “heavenly restoration”] in which shall prevail over all corruptions.”

11.1 Christ’s Judgment Established in Us

Sibbes anticipates that time when our two natures, new and fallen, are reduced, upon death, to one, new only:

By judgment here is meant the kingdom of grace in us, that government whereby Christ sets up a throne in our hearts….Christ and we are of one judgment and of one will. He has his will in us, and his judgments are so invested with authority in us as that they are turned into our judgment, we carrying his law in our hearts, written there by his Spirit (Jer. 31:33). The law in the inner man and the law written answer to each other as counterparts.
Sibbes Ch 11, Sec 1 (emphasis mine)

There are two parts to this condition of our being: the falling away until death and the transformation, begun here and now, into new life made full(-er):

So, in spiritual life, it is most necessary that the Spirit should alter the taste of the soul so that it might savor the things of the Spirit so deeply that all other things should be out of relish….The kingdom of Christ in his ordinances serves but to bring Christ home into his own place, our hearts.
Ibid.

11.2 Christ’s Mildness and His Government

Now Sibbes expands on the above by considering further how this inner transformation can take place, and yet be our own desire and joy:

The same Spirit that convinces us of the necessity of his righteousness to cover us convinces us also of the necessity of his government to rule us. His love to us moves him to frame us to be like himself, and our love to him stirs us up to be such as he may take delight in, neither do we have faith or hope any further than we have a concern to be purged as he is pure.
Sibbes 11.2 (Emphasis mine)

At the beginning of Christ’s earthly ministry we have at the end of “The Lord’s Prayer” the phrase “Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matt 6:10) Then at the very end of His pre-Cross time He testifies before Pilate that He, Jesus standing there, is a King, which phrase may well have been the words of final condemnation before Pilate as indifferent as he might have been to religious matters he was not so with respect to political claims of authority.

¹¹Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You have said so.” ¹²But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer.
Matt 27 (ESV)

Christ’s claim of Kingship is prevalent throughout the Gospels:

And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”
Mark 9:1 (ESV; emphasis mine)

⁸Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. ⁹Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ ¹⁰But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say,
Luke 10 (ESV; emphasis mine)

A word search on the occurrences of “king” is itself illustrative:

OT 2272 times
NT 255 times
- Matthew 72x
- Mark 30x
- Luke 56x
- John 16x
- Acts 28x
- Hebrews 8x
- Revelation 24x
- All the remaining Epistles total only: 21x, fewer than the single books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, and Revelation.

Many of these references are to individuals other than Christ or God the Father. But the issue of kingship, ultimate authority / ruler is the central one beginning in Genesis 1:1. The deception of Eve hinged on her framing her thoughts to exclude the idea that The King had Spoken with respect to the command not to eat of that particular tree. She did not see such spoken command as authoritative. (With Adam, the situation is less clear on this point as it appears he well understood that such command, now violated by Eve under deception, he would consciously, purposely, knowingly violate by making Eve’s choice but from a different inner source: willfulness).

In most places on the earth presently we do not have a “king” model of The Political Industry (TPI). Instead we see some form of divided authority between an executive function (President, Prime Minister, etc.), a law-making function (House of Lords, of Commons, Senate, House of Representatives, etc.), and a law-establishing / determining function (courts with judges of various titles). With the “king” model, there is one sovereign who is all of such distinguishable functions (and more).

11.3 Pardon Leads to Obedience

Here makes the point that it is insufficient, as the Elect of God, to desire only mercy, however much we recognize such need. Beyond mercy we need, and must recognize that we need “whole Christ…that will not divide Lord [Kingly Rule] from Jesus.”

To believe otherwise, is to “so make a Christ of their own,” meaning an invented Christ who only forgives, grants mercy but leaves in its wake autonomous beings who have wills independent of Christ. So such partitioning of Christ to non-Sovereignty is seeing God as merely a healer / restorer, not King.

11.4 Justification Leads to Sanctification

Sibbes cautions as to those who “misled that make Christ to be only righteousness to us and not sanctification.” Specifically the error Sibbes is addressing is to those who see Christ’s role as “imputation” only, that is being our Substitute, dealing with the sin corruption, making us thus acceptable in God’s sight.

Such recognition of imputation is a crucial distinction of the Reformation. Some, such as the late RC Sproul, thought a better term for the Elect-Believers than “Evangelicals,” a word that has lost almost all of its original meaning; instead he thought the better term was “Imputationists,” however unlikely it was to catch on.

But Sibbes’s central point in this section is that imputation only is incomplete as to understanding Christ’s necessary work in us. Sibbes uses various terms such as “judgment,” “government,” “rule” for this additional Role. “He is our Sanctifier as well as our Savior…” such that “Thence it is that Christ has [the] right to govern us…” and “then to the promise of His Spirit to govern us.” (Subsection 11.4.1 and 11.4.2).

We are warned that “it is not sufficient that we have motives and encouragements to love and obey.” More is required, specifically: “Christ’s Spirit must…subdue our hearts, and sanctify them…Our disposition myst be changed. We must be new creatures.” (Subsection 11.4.4).

To stop short of this, Sibbes says is to “seek for heaven in hell [those who] seek for spiritual love in an unchanged heart.”

Thinking More Deeply about “Change”

Everyday words, like “change,” have everyday meanings that obscure Biblical meanings.

Think of the following example. A husband tells his wife he’s got a Big Mac craving and is heading to McDonald’s for a “happy meal.” Later he comes home and the wife asks him how was his happy meal. The husband answers that he instead went to Chick-fil-A®️ and had a chicken sandwich. Wife then asks, why not the happy meal as he had planned. He replies, “I changed my mind.”

We use “change” is so many ordinary ways: “Do you have change for a dollar?” “Where’s the remote so I can change the channel?” Yet, “change” is used to translate a far deeper concept expressed in Scripture.

Biblical “Change” Translation of Koine Meta-noia

An important NT Greek / Koine word that is worth learning is μετάνοια metánoia (Strong’s G3341). It is a compound word comprised of: meta (G3326) and noús (“noose;” G3563). mind, “as the faculty of moral reflection” (Zodhaites, S; 2000). Nous can be thought of our “thought box” when it is employed for actually thinking, as opposed to be simply be the CPU (Central Processing Unit) processing sensory perceptions, memory retrieval, subconscious operation of our biological machinery, and so forth.

Meta is both a preposition and, as here, a prefix. It has a particular importance with metánoia. It is freighted with the meaning of thinking about one’s thinking, as in looking down upon one’s own process of making judgments, holding certain values and beliefs, unto a condition of changing them at some fundamental level. Metánoia is about something that rarely happens in the ordinary course of life and in Biblical constructs even cannot happen apart from something / someone outside ourselves causing it to happen. As a result, metánoia is commonly translated “repentance.” So we can think of “repentance” as a very particular, dramatic, and important category of “change.”

G3341. μετάνοια metánoia; gen. metanoías, fem. noun from metanoéō (3340), to repent. A change of mind, repentance (Heb. 12:17). Repentance, change of mind from evil to good or from good to better (Matt. 3:8, 11; 9:13 [TR]; Mark 2:17; Luke 3:8; 5:32; 15:7; Acts 5:31; 20:21; 26:20; Rom. 2:4; Heb. 6:6; 12:17; 2 Pet. 3:9). In the NT, used with reference to noús (3563), mind, as the faculty of moral reflection (Acts 11:18; 20:21; 2 Cor. 7:9, 10; 2 Tim. 2:25; Heb. 6:1). It is combined with áphesis (859), remission of sins (Luke 24:47 [cf. baptism of repentance Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3; Acts 13:24; 19:4]) which identifies one as having repented….
While in the Synoptic Gospels, repentance as a rule covers the whole process of turning from sin to God (as in Luke 24:47), it also includes faith which is a part of the process, the last step of it. This application is also used in the discourses of the early chapters of Acts. In these, the comprehensive condition of admission to the brotherhood of believers and of participation in the life of the Spirit is repentance (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:31)…
Faith is the condition of entrance into the experience of salvation, the enjoyment of eternal life; but repentance is the psychological and moral condition of faith. As eternal life is unattainable without faith, faith is unattainable without repentance. If repentance means to change from the self–centered life to the God–centered life, then Jesus is the Author and Inspiration of repentance. No other was ever able to reach down deep enough into human nature to effect this change.
Zodhiates, S. (2000). In The complete word study dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). AMG Publishers.

Biblical Change and

Another important Biblical word, and idea, also derives from a similar sounding root as prefixed above in the word metánoia. This additional, and important word, uses the prefix “ana,” and it prefixes “neóō,” namely: Strong’s G365. ἀνανεόω ananeóō. “Ana” means “again,” though it can also mean “above,” and “neóō” means “new” as it is used as a prefix in many English words (e.g. neophyte). So ananeóō is usually translated as “renew.”

The challenge for us in our home English language at this time and in this place is that “new,” like “change” has an extremely elastic meaning. One can have a pile of pencils, use one down to its nub, and grab a “new” one. But, what’s “new” about it? Essentially nothing; it is just a near-perfect copy of the previous pencil as it was before it was worn down. It’s “new” only in the sense of being another of the same kind.

We can think of buying a “new” car. It may be the same manufacturer and model as the one being replaced, so it is “new” only in the sense it’s not the first one, the one it replaces, though it may be “new” with respect to certain features such as accessories or color. And it may not be “new” in the sense of just-manufactured. We commonly say we purchased a “new” car (to us) in reference to a “used” car (having been previously owned).

So, like “change” as discussed above, we need to rethink what “new” really distinguishes. Below are several definitions of ananeóō:

G365. ἀνανεόω ananeóō; …from aná (303), again, and neóō, to renew (n.f.), which is from néos (3501), new, another. To renew, make young. Used in Eph. 4:23, ananeóomai, and is to be taken in the pass. mid. To be renewed insofar as spiritual vitality is concerned.
Zodhiates, S. (2000). In The complete word study dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). AMG Publishers.

And, more extensively, we have the below expansion of meaning deriving from neóō. The discussion below is more technical but I’ve highlighted in bold the essential point relative to Eph. 4:23:

ἀνανεόω ananeóō
The rare basic word νεόω neóō means in the act. and mid. trans. “to make new,” “to renew,” … νεόω is used for νεάω, “to break or till new land.”
ἀνανεόω, “to renew (again),” is the same as the simple form even to the undifferentiated use of the act. and mid., the more common form. The act. occurs, e.g., in Job 33:24; … as νέος can contain an antithesis to something earlier…, so ἀνανεόω can denote a renewing activity which replaces an earlier state, i.e., “to renew what is old,” “to refresh or reinvigorate a tired being.” ἀνανεόω … is to be distinguished from ἀνακαινόω… as νέος is from καινός. It involves a new beginning in time as distinct from qualitative renewal.
Eph. 4:23, which occurs in the context of exhortation (vv. 17ff.), is to be taken with v. 22: ἀποθέσθαι ὑμᾶς … τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον, and v. 24: ἐνδύσασθαι τὸν καινὸν ἄνθρωπον, as part of the doctrine of Christ (v. 21: ἐδιδάχθητε): ἀνανεοῦσθαι … τῷ → πνεύματι τοῦ → νοὸς ὑμῶν. Since the point here is not to describe a fact but to assert obligations this infinitive, like the others, has an imperative sense. The change which must be constantly brought about in the lives of Christians is finally accomplished on them rather than through them. It means that they are constantly set in the miraculous and mysterious magnetic field of this renewal which is effected in them. It is an inner “being renewed” or “letting themselves be renewed” which takes place in the centre of personal life. The effective subject of the renewal is obviously Christ Himself, cf. v. 20f., also R. 7:6, → III, 451, though this does not contradict Paul’s doctrine of the operation of the Spirit of God or of Christ in Christians, R. 8:9 ff.; 1 C. 12:13; Gl. 5:16 etc. The thought expressed by ἀνακαινοῦσθαι in the par. passage Col. 3:10 (cf. ἀνακαίνωσις in R. 12:2) is given by the ἀνανεοῦσθαι of Eph. 4:23 a nuance which characterises the connection with v. 22 and v. 24, namely, that through the operation of Christ upon him the Christian is constantly rejuvenated and begins afresh, free from the old being and free for the new.
Behm, J. (1964–). νέος, ἀνανεόω. In G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley, & G. Friedrich (Eds.), Theological dictionary of the New Testament (electronic ed., Vol. 4, pp. 899–901). Eerdmans.

Sibbes Ch 11 and Metánoia

In Ch 11, Sibbes advances his exposition of the Christ as dealing with us broken reeds/smoking wicks (flax). Stopping at Ch 10, the story is primarily about our healing unto restoration. So such discussion should be a source of hope and comfort. But Sibbes now stresses that Christ’s Work cannot be rightly understood if it stops there. Christ must be recognized as “Judge” in the specific sense of Ruler / Lord. But, further, in order for such to occur within us, Christ also is the Changer, the one who makes the inner heart conform to, delight in, God’s Rule.

Sibbes uses the wonderful phrase “we are voluntaries” to describe such changed heart condition.

Christ’s sanctifying Work is not: (1) telling us what to do, behave, (2) imposing on us that which we are uninterested or unwilling to think or do, (3) perpetually shaming us for the gap between the rightful journey of sanctification and our actual course of life. There could of course be elements of all of the above in our experience but the central Work of Christ is heart change, metánoia.

Sibbes Ch 12 here:

Sibbes Study Session #10

Sibbes Ch 10: Quench Not the Spirit

The primary text of Sibbes Ch 10 is found in 1 Thes 5. A pdf diagram of the contextual verses is given below:

There are five verbs shown in the above pdf of 1 Thes 5:19-22, all of the same exact form: VPAM2P, where V designates the word as a verb, P that the verb is in the present tense (aka “aspect”), A designates that the verb is in the active voice (the subject of the verb is the actor), M designates the imperative “mood” (more on this below), and 2P that the verb is the second person plural (you-all).

The imperative is in reference to “mood,” which is an awkward term, but the historical one. When dealing with a present-active verb, the imperative “mood” is command language. So the verb is not stating a fact (which would be the indicative mood), or an aspiration (the subjunctive, or more rarely the optative), but an assertion that the second-person-plural-addressee should act in accordance with the verb (in whatever the context, near a warning to “not” do something).

The Warning to Us: Do NOT “Quench” The Spirit

So relative to Sibbes Ch 10 and our text, 1 Thes 5, the first of the five imperative verbs, “quench,” more completely “do not quench,” heads the list of these five commands. As shown in the pdf, this first verb corresponds to Strong’s G4570, namely:

G4570. σβέννυμι sbénnumi: To quench, extinguish. Transitive [verb: that is, taking an object]:
(I) Of light or fire with the accusative (Matt. 12:20; Eph. 6:16; Heb. 11:34). Passive, to be quenched, go out (Matt. 25:8; Mark 9:44, 46, 48; Sept. [LXX]: Lev. 6:12, 13; Job 21:17; Is. 42:3).
(II) Figuratively to dampen, hinder, repress, as in preventing the Holy Spirit from exerting His full influence, with the accusative (1 Thes. 5:19; Sept. [LXX]: Song 8:7).
Derivative Words: ásbestos (762), unquenchable.
Zodhiates, S. (2000). In The complete word study dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). AMG Publishers.

What, then, does “do NOT quench!” mean?

For some traditions (e.g., Arminian), such command is a the most-ominous warning (1) of the risk of losing one’s “salvation,” (2) where “salvation / being saved” is taken to mean having, finally everlasting forgiveness and eternal life, and (3) because one can only be provisionally “saved,” and so (4) one is always at risk of losing one’s “salvation.” In such faith traditions, “saved” is taken to be synonymous with “regeneration” / eternal life, but of course cannot be truly synonymous because such “salvation” that can be “lost” was neither “eternal” nor a regeneration from death to “Life.”
For some contexts (tent / auditorium evangelism), such “do not quench” command is used to warn against resisting an inner feeling / direction to “repent,” believe, and so be “saved,” as may be made evident by walking to the front and giving public testimony to one’s “accepting” Christ. In such contexts the call to faith may be either by those who believe such “getting saved” is only provisional (as above in the Arminian view) or by those who believe that once “saved” always “saved” (the Reformed view, also held by many Baptists even those who do not consider themselves to be in the Reformed ‘camp’).
However, the context here in the Thessalonian Epistle in general, and in 1 Thes 5 and vs. 19-22 in particular, is of a people who are already Christ’s, possessing eternal life, with no warning as to it (eternal life) becoming ‘lost’ (as though something which was “eternal” could be lost). And, so, by such interpretation, the command “do NOT quench!” is directed to one’s walk as a secured believer, in a condition of regeneration, having eternal life, with The Holy Spirit, the Third “Person” of the Trinity (Godhead) in residence within one’s soul.
- What then does “quench” reference? The first approach to any such Biblical text / word question is search out the literal meaning within the context, and then within other parallel contexts (as Scripture is its own interpreter).
- From the definition given in the pdf above we see that the Koine word sbénnumi means to repress (extinguish) some force (which could be “fire” or “light” in a given context). But a strict literal interpretation would not make sense.
- The very next verses, 1 Thes 5:20-21, gives us the context and a proper understanding. Verses 20 and 21 are written as exact parallels (this is somewhat clearer in the Koine original, but it is also clear in any literal English Bible). This verse pair (5:20 and 21) carries a poetic form in the sense that the second line, vs. 21, amplifies / gives life to, the first line, vs. 20.
- This then makes the essential connections that “do not quench” is “do not despise” and, importantly, “The Spirit” is [the source of] “prophesies.”

Do NOT Despise Prophecies

Referring again to the pdf above, we see that “despise” is the translation of the Koine word G1848, exouthenéō, which derives from “ex” (meaning out of, just as in English) and outhenéō, which does not occur in the Bible but whose meaning is well known from extant literature of the period, namely “to bring to nothing” (naught, i.e. make of no account, a zero).

Two very telling NT citations of exouthenéō (to despise) occur first in Luke 18:9 and next in Luke 23:11.

The Luke 18:9ff passage is the important parable of the despised tax collector (“publican” in some translations) coming to the fringes of the Temple area in abject humility praying only for one thing: “God, be merciful to me–the sinner” (Luke 18:13).
1. Most translations have it just as “sinner” but the Koine is “the sinner,” suggesting, perhaps, that the tax collector is self-identifying as the most-significant sinner, an exemplar of the most-‘lost’ and totally without hope.
2. The verb “be merciful” is a most important verb, G4233, hiláskomai. It is the Koine word (in the noun form) for the Mercy Seat that covers the Ark of the Covenant standing in the Holy of Holies, the place excluded to all people, except for the high priest, and then only once a year, and for the purpose of offering sacrifice as a type of Messiah on behalf of all the people and himself. Here in Luke 18:13 it is as a verb and which verb is special form: Aorist, Passive, Imperative, 2nd Person, Singular.
  1. Every element of these five verb attributes is rich with significance. Briefly, the 2nd Person Singular means it is addressed to another Person, and only One Person in particular. It is not to the Levitical / Aaronic priests, Judaism / the Mosaic Law, and certainly not to the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders of the time, nor to the Roman rulers who were the tax collectors direct superiors as to his profession. The tax collector knew there was Only One to Whom he could speak his plea.
  2. The passive “voice” is the clear affirmation that he, the tax collector, is the receiver of what he pleads for, not the doer of it. His voice expressing that his condition, his sin, is his only initiating act, it’s what he ‘owns,’ and only brings, to God.
  3. The aorist “tense” (or “aspect”) generally designates a whole action, often it’s completeness, even finality, and further (possibly) conveying its singularity (that of being a one-time action).
  4. Finally, we come to the imperative “mood.” As we have discussed, this is often used as command language of the object of the verb, as it is of the five verbs of 1 Thes 5:20-22. However, the imperative here conveys the absolute necessity of forgiveness, meaning there is no other way to God for the tax collector, not by any sacrifice, not by any observance, not by any acts of ‘righteousness.’ The tax collector is using a plea word, but in the clearest sense of expressing utter, abject need (for forgiveness), bringing nothing himself to such act except his need for it. The imperative verb form is here making stark that only God’s mercy, which would be truly undeserving, can accomplish what is being pleaded.
3. What of the other person present at the scene of Luke 18:9ff? He is “a pharisee” without the definite article as used of “the tax collector.” This signals to us that this is not about a particular pharisee but of the category of all pharisees. And what of them?
  1. The opening verse tells us: “to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and [thus] treated others [literally: “the rest”] with contempt [bingo! this is our word exouthenéō].” Here exouthenéō is used as a participle, which is a verbal used as an adverb describing how the pharisees treated “the rest,” that is the non-pharisees and especially those they considered far from God such as the tax collector but also Gentiles, Samaritans (not purely racial Jews), lepers, cripples, the blind, etc.
  2. So what does the voice of this category of pharisees say to God? He gives thanks that he is righteous! And, so, as a category, such speech is claiming that we Pharisees are righteous and, accordingly, sense no need for mercy.
  3. So, most importantly, what does God say of pharisees? As Jesus Himself says it is only the tax collector who is justified! This would be a deeply offensive statement on a double level, because it makes clear that pharisees who “exalt” themselves will be “humbled” under God’s judgment.
4. This entire parable centers on our key word exouthenéō. It shows us the inner spirit of The Religion Industry (TRI). It makes clear that TRI is contemptuous and consider as nothing, zero, those who are dishonored by their industry / system of self-righteousness (pride).
The second use of exouthenéō is just a few chapters later in Luke’s Gospel at Luke 23:11-12. Here the scene is of the trial of Jesus that fateful Passover night and morning before His crucifixion. Specifically we see “Herod with his [the] soldiers treated Him with exouthenéō and [unto being] mocked.” As part of their mocking ritual they arrayed Jesus in “splendid clothing” and returned Him under guard to Pilate for the final judgment of putting to death in shame by the cross. The text even tells us that by such external acts of exouthenéō and returning Him thusly to the exclusive power of the Roman Government authority that they (Herod and Pilate, co-judges of Jesus) “became friends that very day!” Here we see two things. The will and deeds of The Political Industry (TPI) and its union in common purpose against God and particularly God’s Redeemer / Messiah. And we see most clearly that exouthenéō / utter despising was the root spirit of both TRI and TPI. The Jews and the Romans agreed on almost nothing, as each group despised the other. But here in Luke 23 at the trial and final earthly determination of “Who is Jesus?” they are in exact agreement: contempt, worthy of death, even the death of the cross which itself was the ultimate symbol of contempt by both the Romans and the Jews, the Jews because (they thought( they knew the OT Law: “a hanged man is cursed by God,” Deut. 21:21-23, ESV)

Prophesies

Having now fixed upon what exouthenéō (treating as nothing, even with contempt), how does this connect to “prophesies” in 1 Thes 5:20?

As shown in the above pdf, the Koine word in question is prophēteía, so our English word “prophesies” is not a translation but a transliteration. Thus, our English word can be misleading because it may be thought to mean only foretelling about the future as we use the term “prophetic warning.” Not so.

The Koine word prophēteía as shown in the above pdf also means forth-telling, which may not specifically reference fore-telling. When used in such sense of forth-telling is means “the exercise of the prophetic office, the acting as an ambassador of God and interpreter of His mind and will” (citing, again Zodhiates’s generic definition). Here in 1 Thes 5 the meaning of forth-telling is much richer because the word “Spirit” is not about some feeling or impulse, but by reference to the communication of the Third Person of the Trinity, namely The Holy Spirit. So there is indeed a forth-telling that should not be quenched, treated with contempt, because it is from God Himself in the Person of The Holy Spirit.

How, then, does such prophēteía arise within us with regard to which we are not to quench / treat with contempt? The full answer is a book itself. But succinctly, The Spirit bears witness to The Logos (the word for Jesus Christ in John 1:1ff), Who authored and controlled the writing of the Bible and including the NT itself including these very verses under consideration in 1 Thes 5, Who ordained its human authors, controlled their thoughts and expressions without overriding their own personalities and vocabularies, preserved inerrant the autographical record, and watched over the church’s recognition and identification of such Spirit-Authored texts which by Providence has descended down the two millennia to our time in many forms and expressions that reliably convey the Word.

This framework of understanding prophēteía is critical. A common historic error, prevalent today, is the belief that The Holy Spirit “speaks to me” as in new, specific communications that are outside, and even completely beyond the bounds, of Scripture, and even to the point that such claimed communications are new teachings for any, even every, community of God’s children.

Westminster Confession of Faith on the Matter of Revelation of The Holy Spirit

Turning again to the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCOF) as an exemplar of correction on such claim, the very first chapter of WCOF addresses this issue of solitary claims of communications from The Holy Spirit as matters of authority. The below WCOF text is an excerpted quotation of the relative portions of Chapter 1 WCOF (highlights mine):

Chapter 1 Holy Scripture

Para. 1: Our natural understanding and the works of creation and providence so clearly show God’s goodness, wisdom, and power that human beings have no excuse for not believing in him.1 However, these means alone cannot provide that knowledge of God and of his will which is necessary for salvation.2 Therefore it pleased the Lord at different times and in various ways to reveal himself and to declare that this revelation contains his will for his church.3 Afterwards it pleased God to put this entire revelation into writing so that the truth might be better preserved and transmitted and that the church, confronted with the corruption of the flesh and the evil purposes of Satan and the world, might be more securely established and comforted.4 Since God no longer reveals himself to his people in those earlier ways,5 Holy Scripture is absolutely essential.6
1. Rom 2.14-15, 1.19-20, Ps 19.1-4, Rom 1.32, 2.1.
2. 1 Cor 1.21, 2.13-14, 2.9-12, Acts 4.12, Rom 10.13-14.
3. Heb 1.1-2, Gal 1.11-12, Dt 4.12-14.
4. Prv 22.19-21, Lk 1.3-4, Rom 15.4, Mt 4.4,7,10, Is 8.19-20, Lk 24.27, 2 Tm 3.16, 2 Pt 3.15-16.
5. Heb 1.1-2, see General Note.
6. 2 Tm 3.15-16, 2 Pt 1.10, Lk 16.29-31, Heb 2.1-3.
Para. 4: The Bible speaks authoritatively and so deserves to be believed and obeyed. This authority does not depend on the testimony of any man or church but completely on God, its author, who is himself truth. The Bible therefore is to be accepted as true, because it is the word of God.
Para. 5…we are completely persuaded and assured of the infallible truth and divine authority of the Bible only by the inward working of the Holy Spirit, who testifies by and with the word in our hearts.
Para. 6: The whole purpose of God about everything pertaining to his own glory and to man’s salvation, faith, and life is either explicitly stated in the Bible or may be deduced as inevitably and logically following from it.1 Nothing is at any time to be added to the Bible, either from new revelations of the Spirit or from traditions of men.2 Nevertheless we do recognize that the inward illumination of the Spirit of God is necessary for a saving understanding of the things which are revealed in the word.3 We also recognize that some provisions for the worship of God and the government of the church are similar to secular activities and organizations; these are to be directed according to our natural understanding and our Christian discretion and should conform to the general rules of the word, which are always to be observed.4
1. Mk 7.5-7.
2. 2 Tm 3.15-17, Gal 1.8-9, 2 Thes 2.2. This statement is an inference from the sufficiency of the Scriptures.
3. Jn 6.45, 1 Cor 2.9-10, 12.
4. 1 Cor 11.13-14, 14.26,40.

Para. 10: The Holy Spirit speaking in the Bible is the supreme judge of all religious controversies, all decisions of religious councils, all the opinions of ancient writers, all human teachings, and every private opinion.1 We are to be satisfied with the judgment of him who is and can be the only judge.
1. Mt 22.29,31, Eph 2.20, Acts 28.25, Lk 10.26, Gal 1.10, 1 Jn 4.1-6.

10.1 False Despair of Christ’s Mercy

Sibbes first addresses the hopeless, perhaps like the Samaritan woman (John Ch 4) who must have heard of Jesus but had no ‘heart’ / hope to see Him out. Yet, Jesus gives us a model because He sought her out and saw her redeemable heart:

¹⁰Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”
John Ch 4 ESV

And, so, Sibbes applies the principles of Broken Reed / Smoking Flax even to one of such little hope:

There are those who go on in all ill courses of life on this pretence, that it would be useless to go to Christ, because their lives have been so bad; whereas, as soon as we look to heaven, all encouragements are ready to meet us and draw us forward.
Sibbes, Ch 10, Sec. 1

10.2 False Hope of Christ’s Mercy

Contrasting with the above, are those who have unwarranted comfort that “it will all be ok…whatever…”

There are those who take up a hope of their own, that Christ will suffer them to walk in the ways to hell, and yet bring them to heaven;
Sibbes, Ch 10.2

10.3 Resisting Christ’s Mercy

Worse, even, that the above “false hope” category are the willfully presumptuous and defiant.

Oh, say the rebels of the time, God has not made us to damn us. Yes, if you will not meet Christ in the ways of his mercy, it is fitting that you should `eat of the fruit of your own way, and be filled with your own devices’ (Prow. 1:31). This will be the hell of hell, when men shall think that they have loved their sins more than their souls;
Sibbes, Ch 10.3

10.4 Presuming on Christ’s Mercy

A common charge made against the Bible’s teaching of Election and Free Grace is that such will only lead our universal carnal nature to exercise free license to follow its lusts. Sibbes deals with the presumption here:

And the best of us all may offend against this merciful disposition if we are not watchful against that liberty which our carnal disposition will be ready to take from it.
Sibbes, Ch 10.4, opening sentence.

The VAE Principle: Vires Acquirit Eundo

And here Sibbes cites the passage in 1 Thes 5 we covered in detail above, namely we are commanded not to quench the teaching (forth-telling) of The Holy Spirit. But beyond this, Sibbes makes reference to the multiplication of growth in obedience to The Holy Spirit, which is the essence of the VAE Principle—Vires Acquirit Eundo–that we have considered in Sibbes Ch 8 and Ch 9, namely:

God has set apart for the effecting of any thing are included in the purpose that he has to bring that thing to pass. And this is a principle taken for granted, even in civil matters; for who, if he knew before that it would be a fruitful year, would therefore hang up his plough and neglect tillage?…However, let us remember that grace is increased, in the exercise of it, not by virtue of the exercise itself, but as Christ by his Spirit flows into the soul and brings us nearer to himself, the fountain, so instilling such comfort that the heart is further enlarged. The heart of a Christian is Christ’s garden, and his graces are as so many sweet spices and flowers which, when his Spirit blows upon them, send forth a sweet savor. Therefore keep the soul open to entertain the Holy Ghost, for he will bring in continually fresh forces to subdue corruption,…
Sibbes, Ch 10.4 (emphasis mine)

There are two ‘bookends’ to such VAE Principle: the initiating impetus, and the confidence that, at the end, whatever we have undertaken on behalf of God will have turned out rightly and well (in addition to a multiplying effect).

The Initiation of Action

Sibbes draws attention to how does action on our part actually begin, by what initiating impulse:

Christ performs his office in not quenching by stirring up suitable endeavors in us;…this encouragement from the good issue of victory is intended to stir us up, and not to put us off….we must consider all those means whereby Christ preserves grace begun; such as, first, holy communion, by which one Christian warms another. …As we look, therefore, for the comfort of this doctrine, let us not favor our natural sloth but exercise ourselves rather to godliness (1 Tim. 4:7), and labour to keep this fire always burning upon the altar of our hearts. Let us dress our lamps daily, and put in fresh oil, and wind up our souls higher and higher still. Resting in a good condition is contrary to grace, which cannot but promote itself to a further measure [the negative VAE Principle]. Let none turn this grace `into lasciviousness’ (Jude 4). Infirmities are a ground of humility, not a plea for negligence, nor an encouragement to presumption.
Sibbes Ch 10.4 (emphasis mine)

Visioning the Blessing of the End

Sibbes expands on the end, the telos, of that which is done in response to the calling of God:

If a spark of faith and love is so precious, what an honor will it be to be rich in faith! Who would not rather walk in the light, and in the comforts of the Holy Ghost, than live in a dark, perplexed state? And not rather be carried with full sail to heaven than be tossed always with fears and doubts? The present trouble in conflict against a sin is not so much as that disquiet which any corruption favored will bring upon us afterward. True peace is in conquering, not in yielding.
Sibbes Ch 10.4 (Emphasis mine)

10.5 Seeking Another Source of Mercy

The common insidious purpose of both The Religion Industry (TRI) and The Political Industry (TPI) is the ‘great substitutions,’ of sources of authority, purpose / meaning of life, and most-importantly the true “Mediator” between God and man: Messiah / Christ Jesus, Savior and Lord.

Sibbes warns against seeking some other basis, person, as a “source of mercy:”

What need do we have to knock at any other door? Can any be more tender over us than Christ?
Sibbes, Ch 10.5

10.6, 7 Mistreating the Heirs of Mercy and Strife Among Heirs of Mercy

Here Sibbes speaks of compassion on one’s fellow heirs, specifically as to “mercy” with regard to their perceived shortcomings. His underlying appeal, by his reference to Zeph 2:3, is to cling to humility.

Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land,
    who do his just commands;
seek righteousness; seek humility;
    perhaps you may be hidden
    on the day of the anger of the Lord
Zephaniah 2:3 (ESV; highlights mine)

Perhaps a more illustrative passage is from Phil Ch 2:

¹ So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, ²complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. ³Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, …¹²…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. ¹⁴Do all things without grumbling or disputing,
Phil 2:1-14 (ESV, excerpting and highlights mine)

The inclination that could lead to “mistreating…heirs” can most readily stem from the absence of the highlighted portions in the above Phil 2 passage. In particular the word translated “sympathy” comes from:

Strong’s G3628. οἰκτιρμός oiktirmós; noun from oikteírō (3627), to have compassion on. Pity, compassion, mercy, …the pity or compassion which one shows for the sufferings of others. It is used in reference to God as the Father of mercies (2 Cor. 1:3) showing His character and that upon which believers can depend as they make their bodies a living offering to Him (Rom. 12:1; see Heb. 10:28); of believers who are to show compassion one for another (Phil. 2:1; Col. 3:12).
Zodhiates, S. (2000). In The complete word study dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). AMG Publishers.

The above word, oiktirmós, translated “sympathy” by the ESV in Phil 2:1, is related to another relevant word:

G1656. ἔλεος éleos. Mercy, compassion… active pity. Generally (Luke 1:50, 78; Rom. 9:23; 15:9; Eph. 2:4; 1 Pet. 1:3; James 3:17; Sept.: Deut. 13:17; Neh. 13:22; Ps. 51:1; Is. 63:7). With the verb poiéō (4160), to do mercy for someone means to show mercy to, … With the verb megalúnō (3170), to make great, magnify, show great mercy on someone (Luke 1:58). …Spoken of mercy as passing over deserved punishment (James 2:13 [cf. Sept.: Num. 14:19]).
Ibid.

This word, éleos—commonly translated “mercy”–occurs nearly 30x in the NT and well over 200x in the OT (LXX). It is a core concept as to God’s relationship to us and our standing before Him. And, so, it is proper that it connects believers one with another even in the dailyness, and strife, of everyday life, and ‘pilgrim journeying.’

Sibbes cautions as to our natural impulse of having a spirit of correction: “Therefore open show of difference is only good when it is necessary, although some, from a desire to be somebody, turn into by ways and yield to a spirit of contradiction in themselves.” And Sibbes notes, appropriately, how the Lord Jesus was compassionate–“Peace be with you”–in His resurrection appearances, and desired that “they all may be one” as “he and the Father were One (John 17:21).” As God, Jesus could have unleashed a blizzard of ‘corrections’ of which there were yet a few (we think of doubting Thomas, and the “do you love me” exchange with Peter). But as God, He knew it would be the soon indwelling ministry of God The Holy Spirit Who would comfort, encourage, and admonish in a way in accord with a pilgrim’s progress.

10.8 Taking Advantage of the Bruised

Here SIbbes speaks to the tyranny of The Religion Industry (TRI), without of course using that specific language:

Spiritual tyranny is the greatest tyranny, and then especially when it is where most mercy should be shown; yet even there some, like cruel surgeons, delight in making long cures, to serve themselves through the misery of others. It brings men under a terrible curse that they `remembered not to show mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man’, that they might `even slay the broken in heart’ (Psa. 109:16).
Sibbes Ch 10.8 (Emphasis mine)

It appears to be a general characteristic of TRI that it seeks to hold the sword over the necks of its followers.

Of course, there is an opposite error, as can be expected, namely: a TRI which forgives, and even blesses and honors, whatever spirit of error or inclination might exist in any adherent. This is a similar kind of dealmaking: this TRI excuses, even honors, the one who seeks to turn aside from God’s Holiness in exchange for such ‘honored’ one in turn paying honor to TRI.

10.9 Despising the Simple Means of Mercy

In his final section, Sibbes brings forward the idea of men “despising” God as both TRI and TPI were the primary exemplars of so doing as we discussed above. Specifically Sibbes writes:

[They are] ashamed of the simplicity of the gospel, that count preaching foolishness. They, out of the pride of their heart, think that they may do well enough without the help of the Word and sacraments,
Sibbes Ch 10.9 (highlights mine)

As discussed above concerning 1 Thes 5, we saw that quenching the Spirit was contempt for the communication / revelation of the Spirit, which was the Word of God, the Bible. We live, likely as all previous generations did, at a time when man’s heart is to pick and choose what they believe from the Bible. In so doing, as someone has well said (Augustine?), if you choose what to believe from the Bible…it is not the Bible you believe but yourself. And that spirit of believing one’s self is largely driven by the inner desire to self-justify one’s inclinations as being “good” because they ‘seem’ “good” or in more fleshy terms, ‘fee’ “good” (the latter being essentially a motto of our times).

Vires Acquirit Eundo (VAE) Insights and Applications

The Serpent’s Deceptions, and Deceivers

Sibbes Ch 11 here:

Sibbes Study Session #9

Sibbes Ch 9: “Believe Christ, Not Satan”

What is Truth? It was Pilate’s question.

Pilate was preceded by the Apostles and followers of Jesus, and His opposers, the Pharisees, Sadducees, lawyers, scribes (all of The Religion Industry, TRI). Pilate as a hinge point was then followed in the Book of Acts and all the Epistles this same question was asked by those to whom the Gospel was presented.

But we can skip all the way back to Eve, at the ‘eve’ of it all, in Gen Ch 3. There she stood before conflicting claims of Truth, that which she heard from Adam, and perhaps God Himself, and now this serpent speaking with the voice of Satan himself. Which claim was, is, True?

Her conflict, remains ours, even now multiple thousands of years later. What is True?

Sibbes introduces this conflict in his Ch 9. Headline sentences from Sibbes are below:

9.1 How We Should Think of Christ

Matt 4:6

Satan’a Strategy of Separation, Isolation

Sibbes lays out the principle of Satan’s always strategy:

so his [Satan’s] daily study is to divide between the Son and us by breeding false opinions in us of Christ, as if there were not such tender love in him to such as we are. It was Satan’s art from the beginning to discredit God with man, by calling God’s love into question with our first father Adam. His success then makes him ready at that weapon still.
Sibbes Ch 9, Sec 1 (Highlights mine)

The Bibles Examples of Satan’s Separation Strategy

Eve from God, then Adam from God, resulting in them both being separated (expelled) from God.
Abel, then Cain himself, from the first parents, Adam and Eve using the covetousness of honor-seeking on one’s own behalf
Joseph the Christ-type son of Jacob from his brothers and father, by the pride of the brothers
Job from his children, his possessions and prominence, his wife (no loss there), from his physical health, and finally by his three closest friends (who painfully judged him condemned before God), by Satan’s two-fold attack claiming that Job would then curse God
God’s people from the Promised Land into slavery of Egypt because of God’s judgment upon the idolatry of TRI as it had emerged in Israel, blended with and part of TPI (The Political Industry), energized by Satan taking command of Israel’s worship and order

9.2 When Christ Seems To Be an Enemy

John 17:6, 11

9.3 When Doubt Assails Us

Isaiah 53:5

Closure

Sibbes ends Ch 9 as follows:

Whatever may be wished for in an all sufficient comforter is all to be found in Christ:
1. Authority from the Father. All power was given to him (Matt. 28:18).
2. Strength in himself. His name is `The mighty God’ (Isa. 9:6).
3. Wisdom, and that from his own experience, how and when to help (Heb. 2:18).
4. Willingness, as being bone of our bones and flesh of our flesh (Gen. 2:23; Eph. 5:30).
Sibbes Ch 9, Closing words.

Sibbes Ch 10 here:

Sibbes Study Session #8

Sibbes Ch 8: Duties and Discouragements

Sibbes sets the tone for this Ch 8 in his opening sentence:

From what has been said…to resolve that question…whether we ought to perform duties when our hearts are altogether averse* to them.
Sibbes, Ch 8, opening sentence

*Averse: is not an everyday word. A useful definition is given below that makes it clear that Sibbes is not referring to laziness, or shyness, but something deeper, rebellious, scented with an active dislike.

How is the word averse different from other adjectives like it? Some common synonyms of averse are disinclined, hesitant, loath, and reluctant. While all these words mean “lacking the will or desire to do something indicated,” averse implies a holding back from or avoiding because of distaste or repugnance.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/averse

So, Sibbes is asking for the response to others, or ourselves, who are reluctant to undertake some or any Christian “duty,” even to the extent of finding such duty to be distasteful (in general) or worse. One response if to caution that such disinclination is a sign that no conversion, no new life, has occurred. Yes we are saved by “faith alone,” not not (as Luther and others have said) by a “faith that is alone.”

Another response, that of the central point of this chapter, is such reluctance as may derive from lack of courage, or disappoint in self is to be corrected as part of the process of sanctification (growing in Grace). And this leads back to a discussion we had in Ch 7 on Vires Acquirit Eundo (VAE).

Vires Acquirit Eundo (VAE)

As discussed in our previous Sibbes chapter, the famous Latin phrase Vires Acquirit Eundo (hereafter VAE) says strength / capacity is enhanced / increased / advanced by its own doing, namely being in action, strength expressed leads to greater strength, action to further action.

VAE is not directly mentioned by Sibbes here in Ch 8 either by its Latin phrase or by the underlying idea. But VAE is implicit in all his discussion as will be noted below by the addition of the abbreviation to various points of Sibbes’s text.

The goodness associated with VAE is real but subtle. Sibbes stresses here that we, as redeemed / adopted children of The Father, have certain duties / responsibilities to God. Such is a rightful claim of God upon us, though, as clear in the foundational confessions of the Reformation, and the Scriptures, such duties do not gain us redemption nor do they preserve it. Such duties are a rightful response of adopted children of the Creator.

But additionally, all such duties / responsibilities bless us in their doing, and subsequent to their doing (VAE). As Joh Piper has written so extensively, our Christian life-walk is not making a choice of opposites, namely: of serving God or being “happy” (in the best sense of the word) because it is serving God that makes us truly “happy” (in the best and ultimate sense of the word). So it is not “either / or,” but “both and.” But the it may not feel that way at the onset of VAE, nor after any given cycle of VAE-inspired action.

We Should Persist in Duties

“Our hearts of themselves are reluctant to give up their liberty, and are only with difficulty brought under the yoke of duty.” (Sibbes opening sentence). He then adds the observation that VAE has a negative direction as well as a positive one: “Corruption gains ground, for the most part, in every neglect.” So his first reason to “persist in [our] duties” is that no doing so will lead to ever worse conditions.
“As we set about duty, God strengthens the influence that he has in us.” Here Sibbes states, in effect, the VAE principle as it is usually applied, in the positive, enhancing sense. Positive engagement with such as we have will not only be right, and in some way joyous, but also, importantly it “strengthens the influence.”
One of the most crass responses to facing an undertaking is: “what’s in it for me?” (Also known as the Chicago Alderman’s question: “Where’s mine?”…an Alderman is a powerful figure that sits on the City Council and effectively rules a specific community). Sibbes makes clear, as we should intrinsically know deeply, that obedience is sweet when it is done without a view on a specific reward for having done it.
Sibbes puts the VAE principle in succinct form: “Reward follows work.” Overcoming our inhibitory “corruptions” leads, over time, to certain victories over them, such that they become our “spoil” as in the prizes the victor gains in the vanquishing.

Overcoming Discouragements

The common source of discouragement is (according to Sibbes) impatience. We tend to think that it is only our current era that is dominated by the need for immediate satisfaction derived from an invested labor.

This has always been the case. Think of Eve presented with the Serpent’s claims and temptation. It was, we would think, a simple matter for Eve to say “no,” as in “just say no” as a strategic response to any great temptation. But it was even simpler for Eve to say, “you’ve made dramatic claims against the character of God…I am not going to respond to them at this time…I will reflect on what I know to be true of God and His Goodness…and I will talk with my human partner-in-life, Adam, who had first hand knowledge of God’s commands before I came to be.” Why didn’t she take this approach? What was the rush?

We see in the OT King Saul waiting for the Prophet / Priest Samuel to return so that the sacrifice to God could be offered. Saul began to fear he was losing the people, now thought to be his people, by Samuel’s delay. So, Saul commits a deep moral and ethical offense by taking it upon himself that which only the priest could do.

In the NT Peter reminds the recipients of his Epistle that although the Lord is returning again, and restoring all things, “1000 days” is in God’s framework as “one day” is in ours. So, faith and patience must go together.

Another source of discouragement treated by Sibbes is our self awareness of the corruptions in our character and our hands performing any service on behalf of God. Sibbes responds: “…if we hate our corruptions and strive against them, they shall not be counted ours…what displeases us shall never hurt us…what we desire truly to conquer we shall conquer….”

Sibbes adds this great thought: “The desire is an earnest of the thing desired.” (An “earnest” is a downpayment assuring that the final payment will be made).

The Source of Discouragements

Our incapacity. But we should remember this principle: “Possibilitas tua mensura tua (What is possible to you is what you will be measured by).” In the Lord’s parable of the servants entrusted with varying, large sums of resources, both the one who had ten talents and made ten more, and the one who had five and made five more, were equally praised by the Father. It was the one who was fearful of losing his one talent, not having either the larger starting five or ten talents, who was judged harshly because he did not invest whatever it was that he had.
Our limited abilities will be quenched. As discussed in previous chapters, and relevant here, Christ does not, will not, quench smoking flax.
Our discouragements. Whatever discourages us will be the very point of comfort of the Holy Spirit in His Office as “Comforter:” “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever” (John 14:16 ESV) and “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness” (Romans 8:26a ESV).

Some Scruples Removed

In our study of a previous chapter we considered “scruples” and “scrupulosity.” Here Sibbes applies these observations to the removal of barriers to VAE.

Sensing our own weaknesses as grounds for disqualifying ourselves from service is wrongly applying our scruples.
Weaknesses rather than disqualifying us from service they instead receive the greater mercy of God toward us.
We must not confuse our weaknesses with being of those who are “malicious opposers and underminers of God’s truth.”

So, weaknesses can be, should be, grounds for our humility, and mortification, they do not extinguish the good work that yet results by the hand of God through us.

What are Sins of Infirmity?

We must recognize that there is no “sins of infirmity” (weakness) except there is the existence of life. Dead people do not sense weakness.
Even in being off course to some degree in our service, the Spirit of God can and does correct particulars, which is itself another way of expressing VAE.
Deep within one’s heart, the ultimate seat of motivation, there has to be some degree of right judgment as there is of the flame within the smoke.
We are securely in that what acts we are inclined to undertake sparked by the flame implanted by God are done in some way toward the love of God. Such love overrules, in the end, the weaknesses and ‘straynesses’ of what may be our feeble even not fully guided efforts.

Westminster Confession of Faith, Ch 16 “Of Good Works”

As discussed elsewhere, the great confessions of the Reformation stress the centrality of justification by faith alone. But, as Luther is reported to have said, we are saved by faith alone but not a faith that is alone.

In The Westminster Confession of Faith (WCOF), as well as The Second London Baptist Confession of Faith one chapter is directly on this subject of good works. This relates both to this Sibbes Ch 8 and the VAE concept. Below is Ch 16 of WCOF entitled “Of Good Works.”

1. Good works are only such as God hath commanded in his holy Word,a and not such as, without the warrant thereof, are devised by men out of blind zeal, or upon any pretense of good intention.b
a. Micah 6:8; Rom 12:2; Heb 13:21. • b. 1 Sam 15:21-23; Isa 29:13; Mat 15:9; John 16:2; Rom 10:2; 1 Pet 1:18.
2. These good works, done in obedience to God’s commandments, are the fruits and evidences of a true and lively faith;a and by them believers manifest their thankfulness,b strengthen their assurance,c edify their brethren,d adorn the profession of the gospel,e stop the mouths of the adversaries,f and glorify God,g whose workmanship they are, created in Christ Jesus thereunto,h that, having their fruit unto holiness, they may have the end, eternal life.i
a. James 2:18, 22. • b. Psa 116:12-13; 1 Pet 2:9. • c. 2 Pet 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3, 5. • d. Mat 5:16; 2 Cor 9:2. • e. 1 Tim 6:1; Titus 2:5, 9-12. • f. 1 Pet 2:15. • g. John 15:8; Phil 1:11; 1 Pet 2:12. • h. Eph 2:10. • i. Rom 6:22.
3. Their ability to do good works is not at all of themselves, but wholly from the Spirit of Christ.a And that they may be enabled thereunto, besides the graces they have already received, there is required an actual influence of the same Holy Spirit to work in them to will and to do of his good pleasure;b yet are they not hereupon to grow negligent, as if they were not bound to perform any duty unless upon a special motion of the Spirit; but they ought to be diligent in stirring up the grace of God that is in them.c
a. Ezek 36:26-27; John 15:4-6. • b. Phil 2:13; 4:13; 2 Cor 3:5. • c. Isa 64:7; Acts 26:6-7; Phil 2:12; 2 Tim 1:6; Heb 6:11-12; 2 Pet 1:3, 5, 10-11; Jude 1:20-21.
4. [This paragraph has to do with the Roman Catholic doctrine of the “Treasury of Merit,” the excess grace attained by certain “saints” in history, which aggregates to the Pope, and which may by him be dispensed as “Indulgences” on behalf of those insufficient in grace, which (1) not being any part of Scripture, (2) led to the commercial sale of indulgences that ‘enabled’ the living to buy the dead out of certain portions of the dead’s assigned suffering in purgatory]. They who in their obedience attain to the greatest height which is possible in this life, are so far from being able to supererogate and to do more than God requires, as that they fall short of much which in duty they are bound to do.a
a. Neh 13:22; Job 9:2-3; Luke 17:10; Gal 5:17.
5. We cannot, by our best works, merit pardon of sin, or eternal life at the hand of God, by reason of the great disproportion that is between them and the glory to come, and the infinite distance that is between us and God, whom by them we can neither profit nor satisfy for the debt of our former sins;a but when we have done all we can, we have done but our duty, and are unprofitable servants;b and because, as they are good, they proceed from his Spirit;c and as they are wrought by us, they are defiled and mixed with so much weakness and imperfection that they cannot endure the severity of God’s judgment.d
a. Job 22:2-3; 35:7-8; Psa 16:2; Rom 3:20; 4:2, 4, 6; 8:18; Eph 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-7. • b. Luke 17:10. • c. Gal 5:22-23. • d. Psa 130:3; 143:2; Isa 64:6; Rom 7:15, 18; Gal 5:17.
6. Yet notwithstanding, the persons of believers being accepted through Christ, their good works also are accepted in him,a not as though they were in this life wholly unblamable and unreprovable in God’s sight;b but that he, looking upon them in his Son, is pleased to accept and reward that which is sincere, although accompanied with many weaknesses and imperfections.c
a. Gen 4:4 with Heb 11:4; Exod 28:38; Eph 1:6; 1 Pet 2:5. • b. Job 9:20; Psa 143:2. • c. Mat 25:21, 23; 2 Cor 8:12; Heb 6:10; 13:20-21.
7. Works done by unregenerate men, although for the matter of them they may be things which God commands, and of good use both to themselves and others;a yet because they proceed not from a heart purified by faith,b nor are done in a right manner, according to the Word,c nor to a right end, the glory of God;d they are therefore sinful, and cannot please God, or make a man meet to receive grace from God.e And yet their neglect of them is more sinful and displeasing unto God.f
a. 1 Kings 21:27, 29; 2 Kings 10:30-31; Phil 1:15-16, 18. • b. Gen 4:3-5 with Heb 11:4, 6. • c. Isa 1:12; 1 Cor 13:3. • d. Mat 6:2, 5, 16. • e. Amos 5:21-22; Hosea 1:4; Hag 2:14; Rom 9:16; Titus 1:15; 3:5. • f. Job 21:14-15; Psa 14:4; 36:3; Mat 23:23; 25:41-45.
Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 16 “Of Good Works.” Source: https://www.apuritansmind.com/westminster-standards/chapter-16/ (Highlights mine)

Jonathan Edwards Resolutions

Famous U.S. theologian, church leader / teacher, and even President of Princeton University (!) made it his lifelong practice to create and meditate on his personal resolutions. Over his life he created 70 of them.

Of particular note to our discussion here are the below resolutions, numbered as Edwards had done so:

57. Resolved: When I fear misfortunes and adversities, to examine whether I have done all I am expected to do, and resolve to do everything I am able to do. Once I have done all that God requires of me, I will accept whatever comes my way, and accept that it is just as God’s Providence has ordered it. I will, as far as I can, be concerned about nothing but my own duty and my own sin.
59. Resolved: Whenever I am most conscious of feelings of ill nature, bad attitude, and/or anger, I will strive then the most to feel and act good naturedly. At such times I know I may feel that to exhibit good nature might seem in some respects to be to my own immediate disadvantage, but I will nevertheless act in a way that is gracious, realizing that to do otherwise would be imprudent at other times (i.e. times when I am not feeling so irked).
60. Resolved: Whenever my feelings begin to appear in the least out of sorts, when I am conscious of the least uneasiness within my own heart and/or soul, or the least irregularity in my behavior, I will immediately subject myself to the strictest examination. (Psalm 42:11 ESV Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.)
61. Resolved: I will not give way to that apathy and listlessness which I find artificially eases and relaxes my mind from being fully and fixedly set on God’s Grace. Whatever excuses I may have for it, whatever my listlessness inclines me to do, or rather whatever it inclines me to neglect doing, I will realize that it would actually be best for me to do these things.
62. Resolved: Never to do anything but what God, by the Law of Love, requires me to do. And then, according to Ephesians 6:6-8 [not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free], I must do it willingly and cheerfully as to the Lord, and not for man. I must remember that whatever good thing any man has or does he has first received from God; and that whenever a man is compelled by faith to act with love and charity toward others, especially those in need, that we do it as if to/for the Lord.
Selected Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards. Source: https://revpacman.com/2017/07/17/the-70-resolutions-of-jonathan-edwards/ (Highlights mine)

Sibbes Ch 9 here:

Sibbes Study Session #7

Sibbes Ch 7: Help for the Weak

In Sibbes Ch 6 we considered the inward turn of “smoking flax” as to the matter of “assurance.” The presence of ‘smoke’ is not only an indication of incompleteness as to Christian maturity it is also a confirmation that there exists a heavenly ‘spark’ within us. So our sense of smoke should remind us that it is only because there is a spark do we even observe / notice the existence of smoke. Those without the spark notice nothing, as the fish does not notice water.

In Sibbes Ch 7 we will see him extend the matter of assurance to that of giving comfort, solace in our human condition. In the first major section (7.1 as I have numbered it) the focus is on those temptations that we each have, some from within, some from our environment / circumstances, and perhaps some from the forces of the Great Deceiver himself. In the other major section (7.2) we are admonished that despite such assaults of discomfort about our condition, we are still called to our Christian duty of journeying toward maturity (the Doctrine of “Sanctification”). This latter topic closely f

Before turning to Sibbes’s chapter, let us consider what other resources can tell us about sanctification.

Doctrinal Basics on the Subject of Sanctification

Definition of Sanctification

Sanctification is the ongoing supernatural work of God to rescue justified sinners from the disease of sin and to conform them to the image of his Son: holy, Christlike, and empowered to do good works.

Calhoun, S. (2018). Sanctification. In M. Ward, J. Parks, B. Ellis, & T. Hains (Eds.), Lexham Survey of Theology. Lexham Press.

Further expansion on the above definition follows below:

The triune God not only declares his children righteous but also progressively makes them righteous, setting them apart for himself and freeing them from the entanglements of sin. This process, referred to as “sanctification,” does not happen in a moment but is the ongoing work of God throughout the life of a believer. In “justification,” Christ’s righteousness is imputed to believers: it is reckoned to their account, judicially speaking. In sanctification, Christ’s righteousness is imparted: by the power of the Spirit, the converted sinner becomes more like Christ. The sinner is transformed in every area of his or her life: inward and outward, heart and action, relationships and purpose.
Sanctification is the work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (John 17:17, 19; 1 Cor 1:2, 30; Eph 5:25–27; Col 1:22; 1 Thess 5:23; Heb 10:10–13; 13:12, 20–21). Yet it is the Holy Spirit who applies this triune work, freeing and empowering believers to become like Christ (Rom 8:12–14; 15:16; 2 Thess 2:13; Titus 3:5; 1 Pet 1:2). Scripture’s frequent designation of the Holy Spirit speaks to the fitting nature of the Spirit’s role as sanctifier.
Sanctification does not occur as a separate step after salvation; rather, it is the working out of one’s salvation into the whole of life and practice. It is not simply ethical conformity but the conformity of one’s entire life into the image of God. Sanctification is the natural application of justification: those who have been declared holy are now made holy. It is the natural development of regeneration: those who have received new life now live out this life as they grow in Christ. It is also the natural implication of adoption: God’s beloved children imitate him in holiness and purity. Christians are enabled to do good works that please and honor God, love and serve others, and represent God’s character and ways before the world (John 15:5, 8; Rom 7:4; 1 Cor 10:31; Gal 6:2; Jas 2:14–22).
Although sanctification is first and foremost a supernatural work of God in a person’s life, it also requires the active cooperation of the person through faith, obedience, and submission to the divine work (Rom 6:19; 12:1; Phil 2:12–13; 2 Tim 2:21; Heb 12:14). God has provided various means by which Christians can participate in their growth toward holiness and union with God. These include prayer, the reading and meditation of Scripture, fellowship with other believers in the church, the use of spiritual weapons (Eph 6:10–20), the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22–23), and the gifts of the Spirit for God’s mission in the world (Rom 12:3–8).
Calhoun, S. (2018). Sanctification. In M. Ward, J. Parks, B. Ellis, & T. Hains (Eds.), Lexham Survey of Theology. Lexham Press. (bold highlights are mine)

Graphical Map of Sanctification

Sanctification connects with, and is closely related to, other key Biblical concepts are indicated by certain of the bold highlighting above. Such interconnection can be seen visually in the below graphic:

Logos Software, from the Facebook on “Sanctification.”

With this background on sanctification let us now turn to Sibbes. Sibbes’s chapter, and his life ministry, was at the level of the nitty-gritty of local church life, and the training / education of men who taught other congregations. So we will see, as we have previously in his book, a very down-to-earth presentation of the above high-level principles. Together, they make a useful combination.

7.1 Temptations Which Hinder Comfort

7.1.1 Missing Full Assurance

7.1.2 Fearful that Grace Died

7.1.3 Terrorized by My Imaginations

7.1.4 My Corruptions Have Increased, Not Decreased

The more sin is seen it is hated
Contraries are made sharper by near-conflict.
Greater spiritual life, greater antipathy to the contrary.
Evidence that one has not given up to self-indulgence

7.2 Weakness Should Not Keep Us from Duty

Doctrine of Sanctification:

The Westminster Confession of Faith (WCOF) has a chapter (Ch 13) dedicated to the Biblical doctrine of “sanctification.” As shown below, WCOF 13.1 gives the positive assertion that such sanctification is to be a reality, but it is a “more and more” to be made Spiritually alive (WCOF “quickened”) and “strengthened.” Such is our “telos” (the Koine Greek word for ultimate purpose, goal, intended outcome) from God.

However, and it is a crucial “however,” WCOF 13.2 and 13.2 make clear that such process of “more and more” is in this life incomplete, and even having what appears to be regression. Thus, sanctification is toward the telos of perfection, it is in this life a perfect process of God-at-work yet dealing with “imperfection” as to our fallen nature, not yet irradiated. Thus, our experience is that of a “war” between the spirit and the flesh, which Sibbes characterizes as a kind of martyrdom.

Westminster Confession of Faith, Ch 13
(source: https://www.opc.org/documents/CFLayout.pdf )

1. They, who are once effectually called, and regenerated, having a new heart, and a new spirit created in them, are further sanctified, really and personally, through the virtue of Christ’s death and resurrection,a by his Word and Spirit dwelling in them:b the dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed,c and the several lusts thereof are more and more weakened and mortified;d and they more and more quickened and strengthened in all saving graces,e to the practice of true holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.f

a. 1 Thess. 5:23–24. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. 2 Thess. 2:13–14. But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanc- tification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ezek. 36:22–28. Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. Titus 3:5. Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost. Acts 20:32. And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. Phil. 3:10. … that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death. Rom. 6:5–6. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

b. John 17:17, 19. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth…. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Eph. 5:26. … that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. Rom. 8:13–14. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 2 Thess. 2:13. But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.

c. Rom. 6:6, 14. … knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin…. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

d. Gal. 5:24. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. Rom. 8:13. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

e. Col. 1:10–11. … that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, be- ing fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness. Eph. 3:16–19. … that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

f. 2 Cor. 7:1. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Col. 1:28. … whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. Col. 4:12. Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. Heb. 12:14. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.

2. This sanctification is throughout, in the whole man;g yet imperfect in this life, there abiding still some remnants of corruption in every part;h whence ariseth a continual and irreconcilable war, the flesh lusting against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.i

g. 1 Thess. 5:23. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Rom. 12:1–2. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

h. 1 John 1:8–10. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. Rom. 7:14–25. For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I…. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not…. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the

i. Gal. 5:17; 1 Pet 2:11

3. In which war, although the remaining corruption, for a time, may much prevail;k yet, through the continual supply of strength from the sanctifying Spirit of Christ, the regenerate part doth overcome;l and so, the saints grow in grace,m perfecting holiness in the fear of God.n

k. Rom 7:23

l. Rom 6:14; Eph 4:15-16; 1 John 5:4

m. 2 Cor 3″18; 2 Pet 3:18

n. 2 Cor 7:1

Motion and Acceleration: Vires Acquirit Eundo

An observation of John Flavel, another Puritan writer, and others in the Puritan era is captured by a Latin expression originally used by the Roman writer Virgil in his epic poem The Aeneid (29 – 19 B.C.): Vires Acquirit Eundo.

Acquirit clearly means “acquire.” Vires here means strength or capacity for work / achievement. Eundo is more difficult to pin down, but means that which was needed, or intended. Putting it together, the phrase is often translated as he / she / it gathers strength by doing (or continuance).

Virgil used the phrase, and made it famous, in the specific context of rumors, namely: rumors often begin in a small context of a two or a few people, but as each ‘networks’ with others (a discussion of such networks is developed elsewhere on this site) the scope of the rumor takes on almost a life of itself, as well as expanding exponentially (in accordance with the “Square Law of Networks”).

Interpretation and Application

One can think of the phrase as representing a stronger form and context of Newton’s Law of Motion which states (among other things) that objects in motion will tend to stay in motion (unless acted upon by other forces). Virgil’s phrase says more than Newton: objects in motion will accelerate, gather strength, as rumors themselves can do.

Another context of Virgil’s phrase is a ball rolling downhill. At first it may barely move, then slowly, then more rapidly, and so forth, of course as it is acted upon by another force, that of gravity. There are numerous other examples. Sadly fires that begin in a house can dramatically show such accelerated progress.

In the business world, there is are two related terms: the virtuous spiral (or circle) and, again sadly, the death spiral. In both examples, what begins creates a condition that accelerates what began–either favorably or unfavorably–which then has a feedback connection to perhaps multiple intermediate forces or conditions that ultimately affects whatever began the initial motion and so the spiral (or circle) not only progresses but accelerates. Put in another way, such system has been designed such that a good initial business outcome will have the effect of creating another “good” within the business’s systems or operations which in turn does the same to another area and so forth. For companies facing failure, especially insolvency, a small initial “bad” event can trigger a cascade of subsequent events that each accelerate the decline of the company to its demise.

Vires References in Sibbes Ch 7

Sibbes in this Ch 7 seems to be making a parallel point, though not in these specific terms, namely that despite the presence of smoke, and known person imperfections / struggles / inner warfare, one should, and is called to press forward. And in so doing, there is a positive feedback to that good impulse / inclination such that what was a “good” action / impulse is now ‘rewarded’ by a desire to do / go further in such affirming direction.

So the condition of internal imperfection, or incompleteness, or smoke, should be met with taking was it good, and possible, and pursuing that, because such will grow the “good” and suppress, over time, the “bad.” This is much like we say to children learning to walk, talk, learn their alphabet, master calculus or any other subject / skill at even high levels of maturity. We encourage them to keep at it, keep working, as skills develop.

As discussed, “vires” means some capacity, or authority, to do. So the rest of the phrase–vires acquirit eundo–makes the point that such vires acquires what is required, meaning the capacity to do even more.

So within Sibbes’s Ch 7 where do we see his claim that “vires” exists because, we might say, nothing comes from nothing (and there’s a wonderful Latin phrase for that as well: Ex nihilo nihil fit. Where then does Sibbes reference that there is not nothing (nihilo, Latin for “nothing” as to existence) when there is smoking flax?

“…the fairest fire that can be will have some smoke. The best actions will smell of the smoke. The mortar wherein garlic has been stamped will always smell of it; so all our actions will savor something of the old man.” (para. 1)
“…God regards the hidden sighs of those that lack abilities to express them outwardly. He that pronounces those blessed that consider the poor will have a merciful consideration of such himself.” (para. 2)
“It promotes humiliation to know the whole breadth and depth of sin. But the fact that our nature now, so far as it is unrenewed, is so unhappily fruitful in ill thoughts, ministers this comfort, that it is not our case alone, as if our condition in this were different from others, as some have been tempted to think, even almost to despair. None, say they, have such a loathsome nature as I have. This springs from ignorance of the spreading of original sin, for what can come from an unclean thing but that which is unclean?” (para. 3)
“Some are loath to do good because they feel their hearts rebelling, and duties turn out badly. We should not avoid good actions because of the infirmities attending them. Christ looks more at the good in them which he means to cherish than the ill in them which he means to abolish” (para. 4)
“Yes, he will accept that which is his own, and pardon that which is ours.” (para. 4)
“There is never a holy sigh, never a tear we shed, which is lost. And as every grace increases by exercise of itself, so does the grace of prayer. By prayer we learn to pray. … Pray as we are able, hear as we are able, strive as we are able, do as we are able, according to the measure of grace received. God in Christ will cast a gracious eye upon that which is his own.” (para. 4)
“…a weak faith, yet with faith; love thee with a faint love, yet with love; endeavor in a feeble manner, yet endeavor. A little fire is fire, though it smokes. Since thou hast taken me into thy covenant to be thine from being an enemy, wilt thou cast me off for these infirmities, which, as they displease thee, so are they the grief of my own heart?” (para. 4)

Vector Equation of Vires Acquirit Eundo

What follows here is an equation form–by metaphor–to / of Virgil’s famous phrase.

We will consider how compound interest, or return on investment, works in equation form. Let us assume we begin a given year with $1,000 that we invest in a CD (certificate of deposit) that pays 5% interest at the end of a year on the investment made at the beginning of the year, and continues to do so year after year. For simplicity we will assume that such 5% interest is that in excess of the given inflation rate for any year, so the gain is real, net money.

So after the end of Year 1, our account would show the original $1,000 plus an accrued interest of $50 (5% of the starting $1,000). What do we have at the end of Year 2? We then accrue returns (interest) on not only our original $1,000 but also on the interest we had earned at the end of Year 1, namely: $1000 + $50 + $52.50 = $1,102.50. So the gain for Year 2 was larger than Year 1 because it was based on a larger starting investment ($1,050).

If we continued this calculation, and generalized it into equation form, we would find the following relationship: Money at the end of Year n = Money at the beginning of Year 0 [$1,000 in our example] multiplied by (1 + interest rate “i” [5% in our example) all raised to the power “n” where “n” is the number of years. Putting this directly in equation form we would have the following:

B = A * (1 + i)^n, where A was the investment at Year 0, and B the value at the end of Year “n.”

Expressing our Interest Earned Equation in Vires Acquirit Eundo Form

Now let us see how we might express the above financial interest equation in Virgil’s claimed multiplier.

First let us divide our above equation by “A” to create a ratio, namely:

B/A = (1 + i)^n.

Let us now reinterpret this equation as follows:

B/A is a ratio, such that it is exactly equal or greater than 1.0. If it has the exact value of “1.0,” we can say there is no multiplier, that this is nothing produced, and thus an example of our other Latin phrase: Ex nihilo nihil fit (out of nothing, nothing comes, or “B” is no increase over “A” the initial investment, or condition).

“i” is the interest, or specifically fertility associated with our giftedness in faithful application to opportunity, exactly like the man in the parable who the Lord gave 10 talents and made 10 talents more, and the one given 5 made 5.

“n” is then the measure of the endurance, perseverance of the above described “i” value.

If we use the same numeric values as done above, the B/A multiplier would be, for i = 0.05 or 5% of the base value “1”–which can think of this as investing 5% of our total talents, and for n = 1 representing one period of application of our “i” (which could be a particular encounter, or a particular period of time, such as a year), giving us a result of 1.05 after that one single period (or encounter).

But now for a second investment (encounter or period), even at the same initial value of “i” (5%), the B/A grows to 1.1025. But this ratio continues to grow exponentially such at after 10 encounters (or periods) the B/A ratio becomes 1.63, and for 20 encounters it then becomes 2.65, for 100 it becomes 131.

But the above calculation understates what such growth law would suggest because our giftedness would be expected to also increase with each given encounter (or year). So, in the first encounter it was 5%, but in the next it could be 6%, and then 8%, and so forth

Most of us identify with Moses who went sent by God to speak to Pharaoh deferred because he was not talented as a speaker. Perhaps he thought of himself as an “i” of exactly zero. But of course God assured him that it was not Moses’s own natural ability at stake here, as he was being sent by God Himself. So perhaps in that context, given Moses’s limitations it was only 5%. But as his faith, and giftedness, grew in the power of the Spirit, that 5% value would grow as well.

If we think back of our own simple human examples we can recognize that what was very feeble, low skill initial efforts in some area of our life did grow with application, and dedication. And so it happens with vires acquirit eundo.

The Downward Spiral

Although the inverse, downward direction of falling under temptation was not the subject of Sibbes Ch 7 it is instructive to consider how our metaphor might be insightful.

If we think now of “i” as being our area of inclination to the suggestion of evil, either from our latent nature (“the mint” we have according to Sibbes’s use of the term), our environment, or Satan’s broad plan of attack, then the number of encounters “n” will directly influence the B/A ratio, the vector of our life, toward such evil.

We all have certain areas where “I” is greater than zero, and perhaps some areas where for reason in the past it has a high value (this recalls another famous phrase of brain networks: what fires together, wires together). Whatever the case, the supreme danger is responding with our “i” to any, or increasing, value of “n” (encounters).

Each such vector value greater than 1.0, puts us in an ever weaker location (spiritually speaking) for the next encounter, plus we have likely increased our inclination toward such, “i”, to a higher value, making us more readily responding to the temptation of the next encounter.